


The Heart of a Guardian

by justforfum



Series: The Heart of a Guardian [1]
Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adulthood, Adventure, Character Death, Dialogue Heavy, Difficult Decisions, Drama, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, Friendship/Love, Gen, Original Character(s), War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-01-08 06:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 276,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12248544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justforfum/pseuds/justforfum
Summary: The maturation of an innocent child to a young adult: it's different for everyone. Some grow into it, others learn through hardship and personal sacrifice. Will the harsh reality of war make or break the young Hamelian Prince? Will he even survive? This is a story of a boy and his wish to reclaim his lost home.





	1. The Night Watch

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.
> 
> A/N: Special thanks to Tiffany, my girlfriend, for taking the time and proofreading this story for me. This story is going to be long and will focus on Chung's transition from a kid to a young man. It will loosely follow the plot laid out by the game's developers with a lot of liberty taken in between key story points. It takes place a year after the Velder demon invasion and just before the trip to Hamel. There will be a pairing eventually but it is not central to the story so it'll be some time before that sort of fluff is even written. And even then, it's not going to be the kind of romantic romance you'd expect. The story will revolve mostly around Chung and his own personal motive. There will be a lot of conversations and relationship building that will be important to his maturation and a lot of influences outside the el search party. That means there will be a number of OCs in this story that will change Chung's perspective for better or for worse.

A small campfire flickered in the soft breeze that blew through the forest. The rustle of leaves against the wind gave the night an enchanted feeling of tranquility that was all too familiar for the young man laying in his bedroll. He still hadn't learned the constellations despite the amount of time he spent sleeping outdoors. The only one the young man could pick out was the celestial string: a somewhat curved line of twinkling light that began at the north star and ended at the south star. In colloquial terms they were called the Nape and the Tail, respectively. Everything else around it was just beautiful extras that complimented the line.

It was difficult to remember everything he was  _supposed_ to learn a few years ago but he was barely in his teens then and he couldn't help it. He was sure the other stars played a significant role in navigation but Aisha had a terrible habit of droning on and on about each and every white dot in the sky. "The most important part," he remembered Raven saying after Aisha's hours-long lecture, "is to remember the celestial string: the Nape all the way down to the tail." The war veteran had then proceeded to trace the constellation for the young prince from top to bottom.

That was when he first met them—when he was just a wandering soul looking to reclaim a lost kingdom. "If you're ever lost, they will help you find your way," Raven had told him. The young prince idly followed the constellation with his fingers in thought. But was he right to follow them? For years the young man travelled the lands under the stars' directions… and yet here he was: living every day wondering how he survived, clinging desperately to what little he possessed, no place to call home, and still no answer to what happened to his father: King Seiker.

He wanted to know whether this was all a waste of time. For the many months he endured braving the elements both natural and magical for the sake of becoming strong enough to return home, he had never felt more powerless at making a difference. He could leave. Just disappear into the night and pursue his goals without their help… but he owed them too much. Elsword, Aisha, Rena, Raven, and Eve had taken him under their wing and taught him how to survive. They were his friends and, with the addition of Ara, Elesis, and now Add, he had all the more reason not to abandon them. He just had to hang on to Elsword's promise that he'd one day have a place he could call home.

A twig snapped. The young man's cyan-colored eyes snapped to the brush opposite him, over the fire, and closest to Add. His eyes strained to adjust over the dim-lit flames but all rustling had then stopped and Add, who was fast asleep, merely turned to his side towards the young man. He was mumbling in his sleep—laughing, actually. The prince was unsure of whether to be more concerned about what was hiding in the bush or what was sleeping in plain sight before him.

The rustling came back—quieter this time—as if trying not to alert him. To his horror, he could make out a shadowy form much bigger than a bear or a moss golem moving towards the person closest to Add: Eve. He sat up this time and quietly reached for one of his revolvers. The moving shadow stopped and it did so in such a way that the fire almost made its form meld into the black background. Eve was still fast asleep. For a long moment there was nothing—nothing to the point where he was unsure if the shadow was still standing there plain to see. The breeze had all but ceased, as if giving him the chance to listen for the next move. He released the hammer lock and slowly… slowly got to his feet. And as he rose, he ran into a body that stood at the head of his bedroll.

He yelped, squeezing the trigger out of instinct as he jumped back and recovered, pointing the gun at the intruder.

"Chung! What the El?" the young knight shouted as he fell back, several strands of red hair were singed black at the tips.

"Elsword! I… there was a… you see…" Chung pointed frantically towards Eve who was sitting straight up in her bedroll, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "There was a… And I thought you-"

Elsword gave a sigh and got back on his feet, dusting the dirt from his armor. He picked up his sword and wandered over to Eve, glancing over at the bush that Chung pointed at. "Nothing here, Chung," he said with a shrug and kicked at the bush to show for it. He then smiled at Eve, giving her a playful bow. "Sorry to disturb you, your majesty. It's not your shift yet. It's Chung's."

"I'm aware," Eve said and, after rubbing her eyes, laid back down, muttering a "good night" and was out like a light within seconds.

Elsword laughed quietly to himself and looked over at Chung. "So, yeah. It's your turn," he said as he started to remove plates of his armor.

"Oh. Right. My turn," the prince said, He pulled at a sheet that hid his gigantic destroyer and the special Frieturnur armor.

"Before you do that, I need to take a leak," the red-haired knight said with a beckoning motion.

"I'm, good. You go ahead," Chung replied as he fixed the boots and shin guards on his leg. The prince heard a sigh and Elsword suddenly grabbed him by the forearm and dragged the prince off into the dark outer ring of the camp. "I said I'm good, Elsword! Leave me be!"

Elsword threw him that award winning grin and continued to tug him along despite the prince's protests. "Lighten up, Chung. Can't a guy have a man-to-man talk with his friend?" It wasn't until they were well out of earshot did Elsword finally get down to business.

It was quiet, except for the sound of flowing water and the occasional frog in the distance. Chung stood there, back against a tree as he waited for his comrade to finish.

Elsword was the second youngest of the group with the prince being the youngest. Although in a scope of mental maturity, the knight was easily dead last. His brash and headstrong attitude often caused more trouble than he'd mean and all his friends acknowledged this very fact about him. It was this same personality, however, that earned him respect from the older members of their circle. In fact, Chung credited most of his own bravery to watching the young man charge headlong against impossible odds without a second thought.

An ambitious boy, he was raised to be a swordsman like his older sister. Elsword was constantly pressured at a young age to do his best and that mentality was burned in his mind long ago. Now that he was at the peak of his teen years, the boy had already earned his place among Velder's Red Knights due to his valiant effort in stemming the demon tide invading Velder.

"So… what was it you wanted to talk about?" Chung said as he heard the other finish.

"You haven't been sleeping a lot recently," Elsword said, his back still to him, "What's on your mind?" Never the one to beat around the bush, the Red Knight's question came as no surprise to Hamel's prince.

Chung was silent for a long while. Was this his chance? He could tell Elsword about wanting to leave—about going back to Hamel and trying to find his father. Would that be alright with him? Knowing Elsword, he'd probably volunteer himself as well as the rest of the gang to fight alongside him against the demon scourge but… These weren't regular demons. His father, who he regarded as the strongest man in the world, had gone missing against a flood of sinister otherworldly beasts. This was far more dangerous than the small scale demon invasion in Velder and even then they barely managed to survive. What chance did Elsword and the others have in making it out alive? He wouldn't forgive himself if even one of them fell. Just thinking about it brought a heavy weight to his gut.

"Is it Add?"Elsword asked.

"Huh?"

Elsword walked over to Chung and motioned towards the fourth member who was drooling in his sleep. "Is it Add? You've been like this around the time that know-it-all came in and started bossing us around."

Chung stared at their newest member. Elsword wasn't wrong, the man's disposition did put Chung off and he counted a few times where the man treated him almost like a dog! How belittling for a prince to be treated as such, he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry at Add.

Elsword leaned in closer and spoke in a whisper, "Frankly, I don't trust him either. He thinks he's so special, proving how much smarter than he is than me," Elsword snorted angrily, "And look at how close he sleeps to Eve… it's creepy, isn't it? How he worships the ground she walks on like she's some kind of goddess."

Chung had to force a laugh. "So you're jealous or something? I thought you weren't into Eve. It seemed pretty obvious with the way you push her away. Frankly, I don't see what both of you see in her."

The red-head scoffed and after some visible, wordless denial and a struggle for words he leaned in again. "Okay, okay. Let me tell you something that I didn't even tell Raven: I think Eve's cute. Alright? She's cute but..." He motioned his hand in a circle as he tried to find the words, "She's not my… equal?"

"What…?"

"You don't feel it? When she talks to you its like… you're immediately below her. You're always looking up."

"You mean like how Add treats you."

"Yes! Exactly except she's a girl and she does it in a cute way but I still don't like that. You know what I mean?"

"So she's not your type, then?"

"Exactly. When you're looking for that special someone, you gotta find someone you can see as your equal. Eve, I don't see her as my equal... What were we talking about, again?"

"... Add, I think?" Chung said after a moment.

"Right. Don't trust that guy. Keep an eye on him," Elsword gave a big stretch and a yawn, "Anyways, good talking with you, Chung. I'll let you get on with your shift. I'm heading to bed."

The knight gave him a strong pat on the shoulder before making his way back to the camp grounds. "Ah," Chung started as he remembered what he actually wanted to tell Elsword but the knight was already quite a ways away.

"…An equal, huh," Chung mumbled, perplexed at the thought. In truth, he never knew his mother so he wasn't so sure about Elsword's statement. He never saw how his father regarded his mother but when he did speak of her it was one of fond remembrance. Maybe he'd come to understand it one day.

* * *

Hours passed without incident as it usually did during the night watch. Chung often used the time during his watch to clean and maintain his destroyer and silver shooters. This time was no different. He sat on his bedroll with one disassembled revolver, cleaning out the chambers specifically designed to hold the magical energies of El. Echo the alchemist from Elder had been very specific about her weapons' maintenance, expressing caution on the fact that these could explode rather violently—"enough to blow your arm clean off"—if they suffered too much wear and tear.

The rustling in the brush never came back and Chung had assumed that whatever it was, it was no longer there. It definitely wasn't a squirrel or anything small so he was glad that it didn't show its face.

Chung felt something metallic and round resting on his head. He tilted his head upward but the object remained. He reached over his head, clutching the round object and brought it to his lap. It was Remy. The white drone, complete with miniature lance and shield like a tiny soldier, whirred its gyroscopic engines at him.

He then noticed that a shadow had fallen over him and he looked over his shoulder to see Eve standing behind him already dressed in her black Nasod garb. She had her arms crossed and observed him with her golden eyes while the black drone, Moby, hovered behind her.

"Good morning, Eve. Is it your shift already?" Chung asked.

With a wave of her hand a soft blue hologram appeared before her, showing the current time: 1:22 AM. "As of 22 minutes ago," she answered bluntly.

"Oh. It's not like you to be off schedule," Chung said, quickly moving to put together his revolver and end his shift.

"I wasn't," Eve said.

"But…your shift started 22 minutes ago, you said. Doesn't that make you late?" Chung saw the Nasod's eyes drop a little and he quickly raised his hands to take it back. "Ah, it's not that I'm upset. We all make mistakes-"

"I was observing you." She flipped her long white hair over her shoulder and walked past him and began her shift.

Seeing as he wasn't going to get anything further, Chung pushed for more while he finished reassembling his revolver. "Why were you watching me?"

"None of your concern," she answered dismissively while looking at him over her shoulder.,"Any disturbances during your shift that I should know about?"

Chung hesitated and after a moment shook his head. "Nothing."

With that the Nasod traced a circle in the air with her finger and it began to glow a soft white and blue. The sound of data flowing from the edges grew louder and after a brief spark a four-legged sentry popped out. It was of a simple design: four blade-like legs attached to a hockey-puck shaped head with a single camera lens that focused on its mistress. She only gestured it to go forth and it obeyed unquestioningly, turning on its area scanners as it disappeared into the woods.

Eve stood there, listening to the rustle of her Nasod scout as it patrolled the perimeter before she moved to sit down. Moby, the black drone, quickly slid itself under her functioning as her chair. She brought up a holographic keyboard and opened a window where she began monitoring her scout's position remotely.

Eve is like a machine, Chung thought as he watched her. Of course he wasn't too far from the truth. Underneath the black uniform that hugged her petite body, under the long white locks and fair skin, was a sophisticated and ancient Nasod machine; one that possibly predates even the oldest member in their group: Rena.

Chung didn't trust her. Not completely, at least. Since he was a young boy he had learned from history books that Nasods were a cruel and mindless race of machines that almost wiped humans off the face of the planet a millennia ago. It was a war spurred on by the evil mechanical race's lust for El energy and it was this lust and dependency for its magical properties that ultimately ruined them. The way he saw it, Eve was a remnant of that ancient war and her ruthless power was more than obvious when she destroyed her own King Nasod's core without so much as batting an eye.

"Is there something you need?" The Nasod asked as she looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Ah… no," Chung said as he began to unbuckle his plates of armor, "Was just making sure you had everything under control."

"Your concern is not necessary, human," she said, returning to monitoring the screen, "I will alert you in the unlikely scenario that I would require your assistance."

Chung gave a single slow nod-not at Eve's comment but in recognizing what Elsword was talking about. That was often how she referred to him and towards the others: calling them by their race rather than by name. Only in emergencies or when they were all together and she needed to address one specific individual did she resort to calling them by name and it was times like this that Chung understood where he was in the Nasod's chain of hierarchy.

A red flash appeared on screen and before Eve could see what happened, the live feed for her sentry unit turned to static. Not too far in the distance came the sound of rustling bushes and the soft crunch of metallic alloy.

This caught both of them by surprise as Chung quickly re-buckled his armor and reached for his destroyer. "What was that…?" Chung said only to see Eve bring a finger to her lips.

Eve pushed herself off of her drone and stared out into the darkness. "Indeterminable… but I will investigate. Hold your position here, I will signal for you should your assistance be necessary," she said as she made her way into the forest.

Hearing this, Chung quickly slung the heavy cannon onto his shoulder and rushed to the Nasod's side. "Wait! Wait a minute!" Chung said in a loud whisper as he grabbed her by the forearm. She wrenched it quickly away and looked at him as if she had just been touched by a perverted old man.

"Don't you dare touch me, commoner!" she said angrily.

Chung had to brush aside the fact that she was wrong in the address and pressed onto more important matters. "Okay, I know. I didn't mean to, I'm sorry. But you can't go in there alone, okay? Whatever is out there is big and I wouldn't forgive myself if anyone got hurt when I could've done something about it."

Eve was fuming but she relented. "How would you come to the conclusion that the threat is anything more than a forest bear?"

"I've seen it," Chung said with a heavy gulp, "It was standing over you as you slept a few hours back. I'm sure it's the same one.

This new knowledge brought an even brighter flame of anger in the Nasod's golden eyes. "And you failed to tell me of this earlier? I lost one of my sentries because of your negligence! What if it were Moby or Remy? Out of my way, I'll see to it that this beast is taken care of."

Her drones pushed him aside as she opened another summoning portal above her. Data flowed out of it like raining building blocks, forming a large caliber machine gun that she strained to carry in its weight. She continued stumbling through the forest with her drones leading and combing a smooth path for her to walk on.

Chung stumbled after her. At this rate, he'd lose her in the darkness if he stopped to wake the others.

"Here are the remains…" Eve said after walking quite a ways away from camp. It was in a shaded clearing where she set down her blaster to investigate the corpse of her sentry, or what was left of it at least. Two legs with wires sticking out of it lay twitching and severed from the core. The rest was missing. "Whatever destroyed my sentry bit into it. No signs of gnawing… just one big bite."

"You sure it wasn't ripped off?" Chung asked as he caught up to her.

Eve shook her head, "It is difficult to observe but there are clear signs of teeth marks here. Whatever it was had a mouth to big enough to devour a small child… And did I not tell you to remain in the camp until I called for you?"

Chung gave an exasperated sigh, "How in the hells would I be able to hear you through the thick trees from this distance? I'm here now so I can help you at a moment's notice!"

"You were quite helpful in warning me earlier. That is sarcasm. I hope you are able to discern it."

"Look, now's not the time to argue, okay? We have a serious threat hiding somewhere in these woods and we-"

Movement caught their eye and the both of them quickly had their guns pointing at the shadowy presence.

Standing before them was a short, shadowy fiend that, at full height, would barely reach Chung's hips. It had thin lanky limbs and back filled with large protruding spines. The rest of its body was eyes and a mouth which it opened widely to bark at them.

"Target acquired," Eve said, glancing sideways towards Chung. "You can return to the camp, now. I will eliminate this threat without your assistance."

She squeezed the trigger and the bright plasma rounds cut through the night like a strobe light, quickly making mincemeat out of the shadowy fiend.

Chung stared on in horror, however, as with each flash of light, he became more and more aware of the giant looming shadows that surrounded them. These shadows had eyes. They had mouths. Fangs that gleamed a sick yellow with each shot fired from Eve's gun. There were dozens of them and they had already circled the two by the time Eve had begun firing. They were getting closer and it was between the twentieth and thirtieth shot that the Nasod slowly realized something wasn't quite right.

Chung drew a revolver and pulled the trigger. El energy flowed from his arm, powering the chamber of his firearm as a magical bullet exited the barrel. The shot connected but pinged off of the fiend's scales, dissipating in a blue splash. He fired again and again, each shot hitting the creature's head until a crack formed and the following bullet penetrated. The creature shrieked and burst into fragmented shadows but was quickly replaced by another.

The prince drew his second revolver and let loose a hail of rounds as he slowly pressed his back against Eve. For everyone Chung cut down, more would continue the advance until the prince was forced to use his cannon in melee.

He slid the heavy destroyer from his shoulder in one seamless motion that connected with the jaw line of the nearest enemy. He swung it back and forth like a hammer with super-human strength that warded off his end of the circle. Spinning around and following through with a downward strike, he managed to crush another fiend only moments away from biting Eve's head off. He stepped to her side, firing another volley of bullets over her shoulder in an attempt to stave off the tides of monsters.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He could clearly see she was alive and well, though almost out of ammo.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. A red flash in her projected hologram caught her attention and she spun completely around. "Watch your own side, human!" she shouted as she covered Chung's back. Her plasma rounds cut through the ranks like butter but it wasn't much longer until her blaster clicked empty. The gun dematerialized as she dropped it, El energy flowed from the core in her head to her palms. Bright orbs of electrical energy gathered at her fingertips which she flung like a disk. The disks struck with an explosive flash that illuminated the area in bright blue flashes.

It was only when her blaster clicked empty that Chung realized they couldn't stay here and had to move. "Eve!" he said as he went into siege stance, "We have to go back to the camp, now!" He fired his destroyer, blasting a hole in the ranks and grabbed the Nasod by the collar of her dress.

She stumbled and protested only briefly but caught her footing as her drones moved to keep the temporary path clear while they made a run for it.

The once silent forest was now alive with a sinister presence. The shadows around Chung echoed with deafening shrieks. He dodged tree after tree, and ducked and jumped every branch in his path as quickly as his legs carried him with Moby and Remy's miniature head lights leading the way back to the safety of the camp.

He felt Eve's hand clutch at his forearm in an attempt to get his attention. He looked back to see the Nasod was still being held at the collar and was trying to pry his strong arm away to let her run on her own. Directly behind her, an enormous demon thundered after them. He couldn't see just how big it was but Chung could see a line of teeth that could easily fit five full grown men side-by-side, knocking over trees as if they were made of Styrofoam.

Chung switched his grip, taking the girl by the forearm and swinging her in front of him as he lined up a quick shot with his cannon directly behind. The cannonball burst in a bright blue flash, but only slowed the beast momentarily before it continued its charge.

"Moby! Remy!" he heard Eve call as she took the lead, pulling Chung along behind her. The drones formed steps upward into the trees, forcing Chung to watch his own footing as he stepped on each drone's head. He wondered why they were taking this route but he quickly saw what lay before them: at the forest floor were swarms of smaller fiends waiting like piranhas for the first victim to lose their footing.

Not as agile as Eve, Chung struggled to keep up. Guided only by the hand that pulled him along. The drones that caught his steps did well in maintaining his balance. He saw Eve raise a hand to the sky, drawing a large circle and opening a portal just above the canopy. "Dimension link: flame guardian! To me!"

A large Nasod fell from the portal, hitting the ground with enough force to shake the entire forest. Without so much as a word of command, the guardian knew what to do: planting its flame cannon to the ground, it let loose an explosive wave of fire that engulfed its immediate vicinity and incinerated the swarms of fiends that waited on the ground.

The two leapt down from the branches and continued running through the now-burning landscape as the guardian returned to its pocket dimension just before the larger fiends overwhelmed it.

With the forest ablaze, Chung could clearly see the monster that pursued them: it was a demon whose mouth made up the majority of its body. Black scales sharpened into spines lined with yellow, lightning-shaped streaks covered its body. Large, trunk-like arms pulled it through the forest at a ferocious pace, knocking aside trees and brush while two small eyes remained locked on the two tiny morsels running from it.

He felt Eve's pace slow and when Chung looked ahead to see why, he found himself staring at a wall of flame, its tips climbing ever higher as the canopy leaves ignited from the intense heat.

Chung clenched his fist in frustration before turning around in a siege stance. "Why'd you set the forest on fire?" he cried out through the booming echoes of his cannon.

"I was surrounded by these monsters. I had no better option than to use it to clear my path!" Eve responded, a rocket launcher materializing in her hands. The missile connected with the beast and kicked up burning ash and smoke, blinding the immediate area before them. As the dust settled, to their disbelief, the demon stood before them, its arms already blocking any route of escape.

"In the middle of a forest? How did you think that was going to affect our getaway?" Chung asked angrily as he pulled the reload lever. Another set of fresh rounds were produced and he let loose another volley. Through the explosions the beast opened its maw, lunging forward at the two. Thinking quick on his feet, he turned the cannon sideways and pulled the trigger, launching him into Eve, and pushing them just far enough away to avoid being swallowed whole.

"It was a miscalculation on my part! Moby! Remy! Attack!" She got to her feet and jumped over the demon's flailing arm, and ran along side it as her drones threw their weight into pounding the demon's flanks.

"Miscalculation?!" Chung ducked the arm, swinging his cannon downward at the joint before jumping over it after Eve. "We're trapped here with no way to return to camp because of it!" He ran along behind Eve, firing his revolver at the demon's impenetrable scales.

She came to a stop, turning around to face Chung, her face red with fury. "You think this is my fault? My fault that you failed to warn me about this threat? Had I known it was something this serious I would have awoken the others but you-"

There came a large roar and Chung looked up, noticing that they were already standing under the beast's maw. The roof of its mouth hung over them and threatened to capture the two like a basket trap triggered by rats.

"Armageddon… BLADE!" a giant blade of light pierced the darkness within the beast's mouth and the two inside had to cover their ears from the deafening shriek that came all around them. The upper part of the mouth squirmed opened and through the cage-like rows of teeth, Chung could see Elsword trying to wrestle the giant blade free from the demon's skull.

Add appeared, using his dynamos to slide under the row of teeth and into the mouth to their side. Still dressed in his tank top and shorts sleepwear and with long white hair in disarray, he looked as if he had to be dragged out of bed to get here.

Chung let out a relieved sigh. "Add! Are we glad to see you-"

"Are you hurt, Eve?" Add asked.

"Minimal damage was sustained," Eve replied.

"Excellent." The man then proceeded to scoop her off her feet. "Phase shift!"

In a blink of an eye, the two disappeared, a transporter beacon taking their place.

"What about me?" Chung called out from inside the beasts mouth.

"Chung!" Elsword called from outside, "Get out of there! I can't hold this guy for much longer!"

"How?"

There was a hot flash of red light as everything from the roof of the monster's mouth upward was blown clean off. In its place were the sparkling remnants of the giant laser beam that disintegrated the beast's upper body.

The rest of the body slumped forward and slowly began to dissipate back into shadow. Through the smoke and demon guts, he saw Add pointing a finger towards the prince, his dynamos taking the form of a cannon.

It took a while to realize what happened but Elsword was the first to speak up. "Hey, Add! You almost hit both of us!"

"Shame," Add replied with a grin. As drops of rain began to fall through the thick canopy.

"You asshole!" Elsword started for him but Chung was quick to jump in between.

"Whoa, alright, THANK you both for saving us. We would've been dead if you didn't arrive when you did. How'd you know where to find us?"

Add snorted. "Doesn't take a super genius to figure out where you two ran off to," He pointed at Elsword, "Even this dimwit could follow the smoke trail you left behind."

Again, Chung had to keep Elsword from ripping the man's tongue out, putting the knight in a half nelson in the process.

Elsword calmed down after a moment and the prince slowly let him go. The knight recomposed himself and spoke. "After we reached the burning forest you were easy to find."

"Were we?" Chung asked.

Elsword nodded. "You two were practically screaming your heads off at each other. Would've taken longer to locate you if you hadn't been arguing… But since the threat's gone and we're all alive, what were you two going on about?"

For a moment cyan eyes locked with golden ones standing in the distance. It was as Eve was challenging him to admit this whole ordeal was his fault. The rain had picked up by then and it was already beginning to pour, dousing what would be an out-of-control blaze.

"I… I was the cause of this," Chung said as he dropped his gaze. Even though he broke eye contact he could feel Eve's and now the rest of the group's eyes on him. "Earlier this evening, I thought I saw something towards the end of Elsword's watch. I couldn't see what but I knew it was big and it was standing over Eve before it disappeared."

"And you didn't tell me?" Elsword started. Chung didn't look but he could hear how angry he was.

"I… I had other things on my mind and it wasn't important to me then… I KNOW I was wrong for thinking that. I didn't tell Eve either so I'm even more at fault. When her sentry was destroyed and went to investigate, I went with her and, well… the rest is history."

"You know," Add began, "This monster could've killed my Eve-"

"I know. It was selfish of me and I'm sorry for endangering Eve and your lives as well… I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

There was a long moment where all he could hear was the soft crackle of burning lumber. All these years of swearing to protect his friends, he put it aside over the selfish thought of pursuing his own goals. It was his friends that protected him this time. He was even more in debt to them now.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up to see Elsword shaking his head at him with a sigh. "Just promise not to ever do that, again. Am I clear? Your friend's safety always comes first. That's your duty as a guardian, isn't it?"

"…Yeah."

"Let's get back to camp and get out of this rain," Elsword said, signaling the rest of the group to follow.

He heard Add grunt, "And I had my clothes hung to dry, too."

Chung stood there, shuffling his feet uncomfortably as he listened to the group leave for camp. He began to walk but almost ran into Eve, standing in front of him. She had her arms crossed, her expression as poker-faced as ever.

"…Never seen a prince bow to commoners," she remarked.

"I had to put it out there," Chung said through gritted teeth.

"That wasn't all of it, though."

He looked up at her, tilting his head in confusion.

"Nevermind," the Nasod said, "Let's go back to camp."

"As you say, Eve."


	2. Now or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even when together again with the El Search Party, something continues to bother Chung. The opportunity has always been in front of him but is it really worth the risk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

He was glad everyone was safe. What started as a small group of friends quickly grew into a party that can barely keep itself unified. With the recent addition of Elsword's older sister, Add, and Ara, the group had a near unanimous decision to split into two parties to cover more ground in upholding peace. It was near unanimous because Chung was the only one voting against it. Even though there were so many, he loved all of them, even Add and Eve-actually, maybe not Add or Eve.

Sometimes they wouldn't see each other for as long as two months. For every day they were apart, he would worry if the others were hurt—or worse. But seeing them all gathered by the campfire and sharing stories of their latest encounters was the respite he needed after the horrible night attack.

Almost a month had passed since the shadowy demons attacked and Chung hadn't seen or heard from these demons since. No one spoke of the incident the following day and after weeks had passed, he felt he was the only one that even remembered it. He was still bothered by it, too, and for good reason: night attacks were an uncommon occurrence and one of that scale was the first of its kind. He couldn't accept it as a simple attack, no. It was far too coordinated.

"Thirsty?" A voice of a young woman said as the leaves crunched ever closer to him. He was laying on the ground when he heard her and without looking, Chung extended a hand up out of the fallen log he had hid himself behind and a warm tin can was handed to him. The speaker shuffled over the log and took a seat, her knee socks showing just enough of her dainty legs while the rest remained hidden under the wizard's robe which, at this time of year, was wrapped tightly around the wearer's body.

The girl sat there with him, quietly listening to the trees rustle. The view was beautiful from the mountain top that they sat on overlooking the small village of Ruben. Ruben was a quaint logging village consisting of a tavern, a barracks, and a town shop among the few houses that dotted the edge of a small river flowing through its heart. Being in the middle of the forest, the small village was Elder's main source of lumber and as such is a vital trading resource that keeps Ruben alive.

"This was where it all started," he remembered Elsword saying when Chung first visited the town. "This was where I met Rena and that annoying girl, Aisha. Now, with you, Raven and Eve with us, we can do so much more to help people in need! And when we're all strong enough, we can beat up those demons that destroyed your city. We'll work together to find your dad, and you'll be home again. Sound good?"

How long had it been since Elsword had made that promise? It must have been over five years. Through those years, they had done so much for others. They traveled all over the main continent of Elrios breaking stalemates between tribes, eradicating a malicious robotic race, fighting back demons invading cities, and so much more. He had grown stronger. Thanks to Rena's training, his aim with his Silver Shooters was second nature and his physical strength surpassed any normal human outside of Hamel. All of his friends have grown as well. Yet, despite being stronger, he felt his home had moved only further out of his reach.

Chung heard the girl that had been sitting next to him the entire time give a long, drawn-out sigh. He looked up at her quizzically from where he laid. "What's up?"

"Just… just trying to clear my head is all. So much on my mind…" The girl closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath.

Chung watched her for some time like that, letting her say her piece. She didn't say anything but instead opened her eyes and stared down at the town.

He tilted his head. "Thinking about old times, Aisha?"

Aisha gave it a long hard thought as she considered her own words. "You could say that," she said as a smile slowly appeared, "It's hard to believe that it's been over five years since I met Elsword and Rena down there," the girl said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands.

"Good memories or bad memories?" Chung looked at the drink she had given him and sniffed it curiously before swirling it in his hand. It wouldn't be the first time Aisha had given him experimental concoctions and it wouldn't surprise him if it was another one of her tests.

He could see the girl shrug at the corner of his eye. "Some good. Some bad." Aisha brushed a lock of her hair from her eyes as she let out another sigh. She looked over her shoulder back at their friends enjoying the warm campfire, purple eyes focusing on one individual in particular. "He's grown so tall since then…"

Chung stopped himself from drinking as he heard this and looked up at her. She gave him a small smile. He shook his head and took a sip. It was tea; his favorite, too: Red leaf tea. The girl knew what made him happy.

The prince let out a satisfied "Ah," after taking a long sip, the cinnamon-like flavor sending him through nostalgia that… also made his heart ache a little.

"So when are you going to ask him out?" Chung said as he got off the ground and took a seat next to the girl. Despite how she had held her status as the tallest during their early years together, even the prince had outgrown her in height.

Hearing this made the girl slump forward, laying her face down on her knees. "I don't know. Is it normal for a girl to date younger guys?" She asked in a muffled voice.

He shrugged. "Rena's older than all of us. She seems to enjoy flirting with Raven."

She raised a finger at him, face still on her knees, "That's one outlying variable."

"Add and Eve?" Chung asked with a tilt of his head.

The girl slowly dropped her finger and was silent for a long time before sitting up with a start. "I don't know! I'm old-fashioned, okay, Chung? The guy is supposed to ask the girl!"

"If you say so…" The young prince leaned back and chugged the rest of the tea before setting the can down next to him.

They both sat there looking up at the stars, each one waiting for the other to speak. Laughter erupted at the campfire behind them. It sounded like Elsword's big sister Elesis was teasing him, again.

"Did you miss me?" Aisha asked after the laughter died down.

"Yeah."

Silence, again; longer this time.

"Have you been keeping up with the homework I gave you?"

"Yeah."

"Memorized the Ponggo alphabet?"

"Pong."

She pointed at the sky. "Then that star? What is it?"

"Aries," Chung replied. She pointed at another. "Columba". Another. "Volans." Another. "BA-5271."

She stopped and Chung could feel her purple eyes on him. "You've been cramming for this quiz haven't you?" Aisha asked with a sly grin.

Chung averted his gaze.

"I know you. It's not like you to immediately know all the major stars when you barely knew anything when I quizzed you last time. Good for you! Young minds must always be kept occupied."

"I've just been having a hard time sleeping is all…"

"Hm? And why's that?"

Chung didn't answer. All the while, he could feel the smile leaving the girl's face.

"You know, it's not like you to sit alone like this during reunions. Even Eve is with us this time. What's on your mind?"

Chung leaned back and looked up at the stars as he tapped his heels on the soft ground. Where to start? There was a lot going on in his head: the attack, whether or not he should return to Hamel, his friends, and his promise to Elsword about keeping things from people… he couldn't keep that promise.

All in all, he wanted to leave. But at the same time… If he were to travel back to Hamel he knew that he would either liberate it or die trying. He had seen the demons that poured out of the portal like an endless flood and how the best soldiers were cut down as easily as paper. He knew that if he asked his friends for help, they would dive in just as foolhardy as he would. He knew they wouldn't survive.

"Nothing," He said. A toddler could have picked out his lie.

"C'mon. You can tell your big sis anything."

"You're not my big sister."

Aisha looked visibly hurt by that and she quickly returned fire and said, "I know I'm not, in a literal sense, but I'm just concerned." She extended a hand towards him but Chung quickly snatched her by the wrist.

"It's none of your business, Aisha. Let it go," Chung muttered. The natural strength of a Hamelian became apparent as his grip threatened to crush her arm.

"Chung…" Aisha said in a soft cry, as she tried to wrench her arm free, "You're like family to me. And as family, you know I can't just ignore this- Chung! You're hurting me!" In that moment, Chung could see the fear in Aisha's eyes. She really thought he was going to hurt her.

He released her and he could already see the red marks on her arm, showing how close he was to breaking it. They looked at each other for a long moment, each one trying to gauge the other's ability to back down. Aisha was wavering. "Just… drop it. Okay?" he said in a low growl, "I'd prefer it if you just stop getting into people's business. Are we clear?"

It was some time before the girl silently stood and quickly took the tin can back and left. As she turned, he caught the glint of tears welling up in her eyes. Whatever he felt towards Aisha quickly dissipated at the sight of causing her pain and he turned, reaching for her.

He let out a frustrated groan. "Aisha! I'm sorry, okay?" He called out but the girl ignored him and returned to the rest of the group, plastering on a grin as she took her seat next to Elsword. It was then that he noticed Eve. Golden eyes met with his and the prince had the strange sensation that she had watched the entire thing unfold from the beginning. She didn't say anything and instead turned her attention back to the rest of the group.

The Nasod had said something to him that night during the attack—back when he had to explain himself to Add and Elsword. "That wasn't all of it," she had said after Elsword and Add left the scene. To this day he hadn't figured out what she meant by it. But then again, why would a robot care about a human like him?

Chung sighed and decided he would rejoin the group later after he had time to cool off. Laughter erupted behind him again and he could hear Elsword wrestling with his bigger sister. "Like family," Chung whispered, looking at the hand that nearly broke Aisha's arm, "We're like family… huh?"

"Glad you could join us, Chung," the elf said with a bright smile. The roar of the campfire had dimmed to a mere flicker of light by the time he had returned. Elsword was fast asleep, his hair tied into two pigtails, courtesy of his older sister who held her brother's head on her lap. Aisha had gone to bed a while ago as well and lay curled up in her tent just beyond the campfire's light. "What were you doing sitting by yourself all night, hmm?"

"Nothing, Rena… Just thinking," Chung said, returning the smile.

"You missed Ara's story about how we found Wally's secret hideout. It was under the Elder city sewers," Rena continued. She motioned at the woman sitting next to her. She wore her long black hair in a tight oriental bun and wore lavish, black foreign clothing. Despite her sophisticated looks, the woman held an expression of naivety that betrayed her feminine frame. This was Ara: a foreigner from a far off land that they ran into during their investigation of demon activity in Feita. She said she was hunting a particular demon and traveled here in pursuit of it. All the while, her understanding of demonic powers grew and she essentially single-handedly slew a number of the demon lieutenants when the Gates of Darkness began to open. Their paths had crossed again during the siege of Velder and, seeing as their goals were similar, she ultimately joined their party, closing the demon gates as they appeared.

"Yes you did!" Ara said, "have you ever met Wally?"

Chung shook his head, "Can't say I have. I joined the group around the time Elsword, Aisha, and Rena arrived in the floating island, Altera."

"Wally was a very bad human," Rena chimed in, "Talk around town said he pushed Elder citizens around and exploited them for their money. On top of that he was looking to raise an army of Nasod robots to do his bidding."

"He was a mad scientist!" Ara blurted out, "The poor mice that were exposed to those experiments! And the sewers! And everything was so high-tech! And then we saw the Nasod Inspector!"

Raven, who had sat silently up until this point cleared his throat and leaned forward, the scars on his face barely visible in the incandescent light. He focused his one good eye at Chung as his face remained as serious as ever. "What she's trying to say is Wally had gone mad with power. Before you joined the group, Chung, we were put on a wild goose chase tracking down some hot shot bandit thinking he could sell a piece of the El Tree's stone for money. We eventually got it back but before we could return it to its proper place, Wally came out of nowhere and snagged it from us. He's been in hiding until now.

"The reason why we couldn't find him or the stone was because of an elaborate system of secret passageways going through the sewage system."

"It was disgusting! It smelled! Aisha, poor girl, she saw the rats and broke down, she couldn't handle it!" Ara added.

Raven continued, "Lucky for us we just so happened to answer a call to fix the rodent problem in the sewers. The deeper we traveled, the bigger the rats became. Aisha was a mess and was unable to fight but I wouldn't blame her. It was like a tide of rodents that outnumbered us several thousand to one."

From the corner of his eye, Chung could have sworn Aisha had curled herself into a tighter ball.

Rena saw this as well and looked at Raven, silently putting a finger over her lips and motioning at the mage. Raven nodded and the elf continued for him, this time in more of a whisper. "Their numbers were out of control. So much so that it took us three days before the infestation was more manageable," Rena's voice was like the wind against the trees, "After we quelled their numbers we discovered a peculiar sewer grate, the likes of none we ever saw up until that point."

Ara nodded excitedly, "It was much more, how do you say, cleaner than the rest. It was most strange!"

Rena continued, "Out of curiosity, Ara struck the gate and, to our surprise, it began to open on its own. What we found inside was… frightening…"

"Many!" Ara said the single word but couldn't seem to find the right string to complete it, "There was many things! Ah... Like a… hundreds of… the Nasod! And many more!"

"Giant rats," Elesis said, bringing the rest of the group's attention to her as she gently combed her fingers through Elsword's hair. The red-haired woman smiled at Ara who looked on at her with an excited nod. Elesis raised an upturned palm and a ball of fire ignited on it. The campfire simultaneously grew brighter. As the flames began to grow, Elesis reached over and tossed in a large log to feed the flame.

"I cooked a few but… gods the smell. Made me wanna puke. Had to rely on cutting the rats down without fire. Poor Aisha was at a loss at that point. Didn't want to continue but it was either move forward to this strange new lab or go back through the dark sewer." Elesis sighed and shook her head, "Brave girl chose to push through with us."

Chung could picture that in his head. Aisha must have fainted a number of times.

"She fainted a number of times," Elesis continued, "So it was a miracle she even made it that far."

"She was starting to be a liability," Raven added, to which Rena gave him a scolding elbow to the rib, "I did admire her bravery, though. She said she had a bad feeling in her gut about the whole thing, and it wasn't the smell. So she wanted to make sure whatever it was that was inside this secret lab wasn't going to hurt us."

"So it was a secret lab?" Chung asked.

"Yes," Rena said, "Wally's lab. The machines we encountered bore labels like 'Waldo Mk. 5' and such. Similar to the Mk. 1 and 2 models we fought above ground."

Chung sighed and shook his head. "Only thing worse than Nasods are Nasods built by a madman." Saying this brought a spark of electricity up and down his spine. And in that moment he could feel two pairs of eyes on him. The two offended parties, Eve and Add, were glaring at him as if he spat on their face.

Sensing the growing hostility, Rena jumped in. "Eve, Chung just had a bad first impression. We did encounter many Nasods in Altera that tried to hurt us. Chung did his best to make sure we weren't hurt. You wouldn't want us to get hurt, would you?"

Not taking her eyes off Chung she slowly shook her head.

"He sees Nasods differently now, doesn't he?" Rena looked at Chung who, quite frankly, didn't budge on his statement.

"Doesn't he?" Rena asked again with a smile. In that instant, Chung felt as if he were staring death in the face.

The prince relented "O-Of course…"

"See? All's well," the elf said to Eve and Add who immediately stood down just as the prince did.

The fire crackled in the cool night air and Elesis and Raven let out a quiet sigh.

"Anyways," Elesis said, "We made our way deeper into the lab and found Wally there. He was hiding behind this  _big_  Nasod he called the 'inspector' and turned it against us. It activated a special shield that repelled all of our attacks."

"Not all of our attacks," Raven corrected, "Aisha's magic managed to pass through the shield unfazed. By the time we found Wally, Aisha had stored enough energy to damage the inspector with a combination of powerful magic. In fact, it was so damaged Wally had to reverse the shields effects to prevent any more of her spells from coming through. Of course, with the properties of the shield changed, that gave us the opportunity to pick apart the machine piece by piece."

Ara smiled excitedly, "We took him to the authorities and he was put in jail for an indefinite amount of time. And then we left Elder and then we came here to visit you all! That is why we smell like the sewers."

"Well that explains a lot," Chung said as he looked over at Aisha's tent. The girl hadn't moved and still had her back toward them.

Raven stood with a stretch and a yawn. "Alright, everyone, storytime is over now so we focus on more important matters: before we left Elder, I stopped by the message board and found a call to arms in Bethma and Altera. Something's going on in the fire caves in Bethma and the Ponggos are having trouble securing one of their transport tunnels in the floating island. Simply put, we'll be moving shop over to the Bethma Canyons.

"We'll be establishing a base of operations there and split the workload accordingly so we can knock both of these out. Since we're moving to Bethma territory I think I can get in contact with a few friends of mine. Be up bright and early by sunrise. We got a long trip ahead of us. Any questions?"

Chung raised his hand.

"Yeah, what is it?" Raven asked as all attention turned to him.

Chung felt the words stop at his throat. He wanted to ask him when they were going to go to Hamel like Elsword promised. Of course he never wanted to put that on the table but since the opportunity arose, he felt the need to ask. Yet now that he had the chance… he couldn't.

From where he sat he saw life in all of them. Each one brimming with aspirations and hopes that he couldn't possibly stand to see ripped away.

"Ah… never mind," he said as he dropped both his hand and his head.

Raven gave it a moment before speaking again. "Alright… As for night watch… I believe it's Elesis, Rena's, and Eve's shift tonight. Figure out the order and I'll see you in the morning-"

"Raven," Rena said with an annoyed tone, "Although I'd be happy to help with the night watch, I have important business of my own that I need to take care of, remember?"

"Oh, right. The Night Saver's guild… When will you return?"

"You're leaving us again, Rena?" Chung asked. The elf stood and walked over to the young prince, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Chung. It's usually paperwork and such. I'll be safe and sound behind castle walls." She patted him and made her way back to her seat where the Sword of Erendil lay. The holy blade seemed to emit its own light as she picked it up. "I'll be back in a few days. Bethma, right?"

Raven nodded. "Be safe."

Rena pecked him on the cheek and whispered something to the war veteran. Chung saw a small but sad smile cross the man's lips. With that, the elf left the campsite, disappearing into the dark wilderness as Raven bowed his head in what Chung assumed was a silent prayer. "So… Night watch-" Raven started again.

"I'll take it," Chung said.

"Okay. I'll let you, Elesis, and Eve work it out then. See you in the morning, everyone."

* * *

Chung felt someone shaking him awake. When he came to, he found himself looking up at a very sleepy looking redhead. "About time," Elesis said with a yawn, "Didn't want you to miss your shift, big guy. Anyways, it's all yours. I'm going to bed." The redhead began slipping out of her tunic, forcing Chung to look away. He knew she was the type that liked sleeping in her underwear and he wasn't going to break the gentleman's code and stare. Besides, he had more important matters to attend to.

He took his weapons and began taking it apart for the nightly cleaning as he worked out the rest of the details in his head. Chung purposely chose to be the last shift of the night for a good reason and he felt the time spent cleaning would give him a chance to finally make that decision.

An hour passed before the sun's rays began to peek through the horizon. The air had cooled and the fire had completely died by then, but it was safe to assume no creature of the night was going to slit his friends' throat as they slept. By that time, he was sure everyone was fast asleep and he had decided that it was now or never: Chung was going to leave.

With the last of his revolvers cleaned and cannon loaded, he quietly snuck his way towards the cooking pot over the extinguished campfire and snuck himself a handful of sweet potatoes for the road. The prince gave one final check on all his equipment and made his way silently out of the camp, stopping at Aisha's tent only briefly to whisper a soft apology. The girl was fast asleep as expected. He didn't want their last encounter to end on a sour note but he couldn't wake her now.

The prince stepped into the tree line and quietly made his way deeper into the forest, east bound towards Elder where he would catch a ride to Velder and-

Just as he was beyond earshot of the others, he had to stop himself from almost running headlong into Eve.

"Eve!" the prince looked more surprised to see her than she did, barring the fact that she tended not to show emotions in the first place. "W-what are you doing awake this early?"

Eve folded her arms and looked up at him. "Restroom. And yourself?"

"I… well… it's my shift. I'm doing the night watch."

She didn't budge and it was apparent he wasn't convincing her. Chung felt as if the golden eyes were reading his every thought and with that he averted his own.

"Why are you leaving us?" She asked flat out.

Chung sighed, turning his whole head away from her now. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

The prince rolled his eyes. "No, you wouldn't. Your kind couldn't possibly understand."

He expected a reaction but received none. Instead, Eve simply stood between him and the road to Elder.

"So what, then?" Chung said as he felt anger and frustration well up in his chest, "Are you going to stop me and wake the others? Are you going to tell them that I've run off? Know that I… I won't hesitate to silence you if you do."

The Nasod stood there unmoved by his threat. She knew him well enough to write that off as a complete lie. After a while of gauging him, Eve uncrossed her arms, stepping around him as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Do what you must," she said.

Chung blinked. "You're not going to stop me?"

"No. I want you to leave."

"Ah… I should have expected that-"

"But not for the reasons you think. You're an idiot. An ignorant idiot who doesn't understand real consequences."

"Real consequences? What the hell are you talking about?" Chung asked, perplexed by the statement. He heard the Nasod move closer until he felt her warm breath against the back of his neck.

"When you go to Hamel," Eve whispered, "I want you to consider the actions you take; not just for your friends or your family but for the world as a whole. Maybe then you can understand 'my kind' as you so nicely phrased it," Eve shoved him forward. "Now get out of my sight."

The prince stumbled forward, shocked that she already knew where he was going but didn't quite understand what she meant afterwards. "As you say," he said giving her a small nod before taking off.

As he left, he heard her say something else. He must have misheard because it sounded very close to "Be careful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Special thanks to Tiffany for taking the time and proofreading this story for me. Regarding some of the characters so far in the story (specifically Ara): I've designed the way the characters act based on their background and where they come from. Ara will have an irregular speech pattern because, compared to the rest of the party, she's the most foreign. No, this isn't some kind of racial stereotype, it's just the reality of a person coming from a different part of the world having difficulty adjusting to their new environment.


	3. Stolen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the El Search Party behind him, Chung looks on to a future wrought with danger. A week has passed since then and Chung finds himself within the canyons of Bethma where lawlessness and danger lie in wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

"Thieves! Cut throats! I'll have you jailed for this!" the merchant cried as his entire month's earnings was ripped from his hands. Three of them stood over him as he lay there on the dirt: A short man, a tall man, and a young girl. His donkey was missing. He assumed old Hilda was dead; pushed to the bottom of Bethma Valley at some point while the two men were beating him.

The thief that took his money tossed it to the other male and pushed the merchant with the heel of his heavy boot, forcing him to roll on his back. Fearing that they would strike him again, the man raised his arms over his head. Instead of another painful blow, he was met with a weight on his chest as the thief leaned forward with enough pressure to almost break his ribs. The heavy metal boot bore Velder's emblem on the plated shin guard. "I'll have you jailed for this! You'll see!" he said in between gasps of air.

The two men standing over him laughed and he could feel a cold blade press against his ear. "That's exactly what the last poor fellow said to us back in Elder. He ain't talking no more," the tall one said as he put more of his weight on the man's chest. He was thin, lanky, actually, with a scruffy pointed chin and a tanned body that had seen too much sun. His grey eyes were sunken and tired and his breath reeked of neglect easily seen by a rotted front tooth. The arm that held the blade was hairy and boney at the same time. One could easily picture how underfed this man was.

"Please," the merchant said through haggard breath, "Please, let me go."

"You want us to let you go AND you want to report us to the town guard?" the cold blade was pressed more prominently against the side of the merchant's skull. "Now tell me why that would be a good idea?"

The pressure of the knife made the cold blade grow warm. Was he bleeding? Any wrong move and the blade would easily be buried in his skull. "I won't! I won't tell."

"Well what is it then? Are you going to tell or not?" The man asked.

"I won't!"

"Damn right you won't."

Still shielding his face with his arms the man felt the weight lift from his chest. He heard the crunch of dirt under heavy boots while the thief readjusted himself. Hot breath tickled his ear as the thief spoke.

"And I'll make damned sure of it," he whispered.

"Please… don't hurt me."

The thief stood. "Oh it ain't me that'll be hurtin' you. It ain't my style to kill an unarmed man," he turned to one of his accomplices, "Mud, if you would be so kind…"

"Roger, Roger," the one named Mud said as he began binding the merchant's legs together. He was a short stout man, square in every possible way. Even his crooked nose was at a near right angle as it jutted from his face. He, too, wore a red tunic though it hugged his angled body tightly as the top proved to be one size too small. Like the other thief, he wore plated legs with the Velder emblem printed on the right shin.

"Say that again and I'll be tying you down with him," Roger said as he took a sitting position next to the merchant.

"Sorry, boss. The Elder folk told me it."

"What are you doing?" the merchant asked as he saw the third thief, a young girl perhaps no more than 12 years in age bring in his old donkey. The girl's medium blonde hair was tied into a messy ponytail that revealed a dirt-covered face almost as deeply tanned as the tall thin man. Unlike the other two, she was in brown linens that looked as if she had literally thrown a potato sack over herself.

Despite being robbed, the merchant was relieved to see that Hilda was alright. His relief quickly faded, however, when the third thief began tying the other end of the rope around the donkey's harness.

"You don't need to be learnin', Mud, that's what you got me for."

"You's right, boss. I ain't thinked proper."

The girl gave a final tug on her end after securing the rope. "This end's good, Roger," she said. Despite doing her job she was grimacing the entire time.

"What are you doing?" The merchant asked louder.

"Good job, Pet. Now you let uncle Roger handle the rest, yeah?"

"What are you doing?" The merchant yelled. The rope was bound tightly around his ankles now.

"You see," the thief said to him as he fished through the merchant's ransacked goods, "Growing up I learned that everyone lies. You say you won't tell anyone but who's to say that the second I let you go you won't report us?"

"I won't! I won't I swear it just let me go, please!" The merchant cried.

The thief continued. He pulled a small fillet knife from the collection and stood. "I don't believe you, kind sir. And as new recruits of the Velder Army, I can't sully my name over something as petty as theft."

The merchant was hysterical now, pleading for his life and dripping snot and spit as he lay in the hot sun.

"I won't kill you, kind sir. I gotta be a good role model for the little people in this world," he glanced over at Mud and Pet. The stout man stared back dumbly while the girl's expression never changed from the moment he said he wanted to rob this man. "So instead I have a little game for you." Roger inspected the blade in his hand and ran a finger across its edge. Dull. As expected of a traveling merchant's wares.

"In my hand I have your only means of escape. Mud, here, is a master at knots, you see, and I doubt you'll be able to untie yourself for a good while. So the rules are simple: get the knife." Roger held it in front of the merchant who lunged upward at it only to have it be pulled away at the last moment. "Ah, ah! I didn't say 'go' yet."

Roger slowly made his way to the other end of the rope. "Ready?"

"Wait… please," the merchant said in horrified realization.

"Set…"

"Please, don't hurt her!"

"… Go!"

Roger stabbed the Donkey on its right buttock before immediately backing off. The animal kicked wildly in the air as it screamed before taking off down to the Bethma Valley, bringing the merchant with her.

The three watched as the man was dragged along by his heels along the rocky dirt path. Deeper and deeper into the valley the merchant was pulled until his screams were drowned by the howl of the wind.

"Why did you do that?" The one named Pet said as Roger and Mud began picking through the worthwhile merchandise. No answer from either of them only caused her to repeat herself. "Why did you do that?" She said, louder.

"Because, Pet, he's going where we're going. I bought ourselves time. We'll be out of here by noon and he'll be in town… maybe around the evening if he ain't pickin' the rocks out of his ass. Do you know how awkward it would be if we robbed the poor sod and walked him back to town as if nothing had happened?" Roger said matter-of-factly.

"Not that. Why did we rob him in the first place."

"Cus we needed money," Mud replied. Stated as if it made simple logical sense.

Of course it did to an oaf like him, Pet thought.

"Oh don't be sad, Pet. I didn't kill him. You know me, I don't kill people."

"I also know that people lie," Pet replied.

"And I taught you well, Pet! Now come, we're going to miss our ride," Roger said as he slung a bag filled with the merchant's most valuable possessions over his shoulder. The rest were grass-woven baskets and hand-carved toys and were left on the side of the dirt road. "Ok, Mud, how much coin we got?" Roger asked as the square man rifled through the tiny coin purse.

"Erm… What comes after one?" Mud asked he struggled to count the coins.

"What comes after one- you damned idiot, it's two."

"T-two… erm… what comes-"

Roger snatched the coin purse out of Mud's hand and tossed the other bag of loot over to him. "Honestly this must be the hundredth time I taught you how to count."

"The coins were jumbling about, Roger. It was really hard to c-count."

"Mhm, I bet," Roger said as he counted. "That's ten silver pieces and a bunch of copper. Looks like we got enough to buy me a new blade and you a fresh pair of underwear. Oh and maybe some fancy shoes for Pet. Speaking of which," the man checked behind him and saw the girl still hadn't moved and was staring off at the direction the merchant had been dragged.

"Pet, we can get you some new shoes!"

Hearing this, the girl looked down at her feet. Apart from her ragged linen attire, her boots were clearly the ones that needed to be replaced the most. The leather on both soles had worn thin and they were mismatched in color and size. The tip of her left shoe had come undone some time ago and at this point the only good thing her right shoe was good for was absorbing water. Still…

"I don't want shoes," Pet shouted as she hurried along after them.

"Non-sense. Of course you do. Uncle Roger will buy you a pretty little pair of shoes so you don't hurt yourself none."

Pet said nothing, merely following them as they reached the town gates.

* * *

"Last call for Pilgrim's Pass! Last call!" Earl shouted. Like many old-timers Roger had come across, this man was as senile as he was wrinkly. Apparently the old man in the faded brown overalls-that Earl claimed to have been white when he bought the pair-had been traveling this path since before Bethma was even a village. Now, Roger wasn't a history buff but Bethma village was where his ma and pa met when his pa worked in the El Shard mines deep in the canyon. Roger figured that his own age must have numbered at least in the late thirties. He stopped counting after fourteen since he left the orphanage and joined the Velder Squiredom. Naturally that put old Earl well above fifty and if he would guess, Roger would say he was pushing his nineties.

Yes, he was senile. In the week traveling from Elder to Bethma, Earl had called him: Robert, Georgia, Earl, Newt, Murtle, Benny, Ludwig, and many other names he couldn't be bothered to remember. During their journey he'd stop the train at places that might have been rest stops a few decades ago and yet each time he'd scratch his head and wonder why they "just up and left" when he claimed they were there just the other day. This was the head wagoner for their caravan and despite Earl's memory problem, he was surprisingly able to guide the other wagoners to their destination in a timely manner. At least according to the other wagoners. Roger was sure they were just keeping him around for "sentimental" reasons. Whatever that meant.

Earl finished his rounds, checking and inspecting cargo from one end of the train to the other. Five wagons in total, each pulled by a cockatigle: a giant, yellow, flightless bird with a thick beak and powerful running legs. The train functioned mainly as a means of transporting trade goods from one place to another but gladly transported people if space was available and coin was paid up front.

He did a headcount upon reaching the last wagon, which was the only one holding passengers for this particular trip. "Two Velder soldiers and a kid… where's your friend?" the old wagoner asked, rubbing the scruff on his chin.

"Who?" Roger asked as he slid the bag of belongings and stolen goods towards the front. He stepped aside as Pet, who was still wearing those old boots despite having new ones in her own pack, climbed into the wagon before him.

"You know: young man? Erm… was it Blond hair? Ah it was! I remember 'cus he had them brown tips that makes it look like dog ears on the side of his head. Reminded me of old uh… old… old Herman-"

"Her name was old Beatrice, Earl. Your beagle," the one driving the fifth wagon said.

"Yes. That's right. Old Hubert. He carried around the big bag that took up all the floor space," Earl said, spreading his hounds out to emphasize the fact that there literally was no leg room with the bag around.

"Your dog did?" the other wagoner asked.

"No, Paul! The young man," Earl said.

"Paul's the guy in front of me, Earl. You're talking to Vinny," the one calling themselves Vinny said. Unlike Earl, Vinny was a sharp old man. Not quite as aged as the head wagoner but the grey hair and wrinkled skin were becoming a prominent part of his bodily features.

Roger shrugged. "Ain't my friend."

"He was my friend," Mud chimed in as he climbed into the wagon. Roger gave him a good punch in the ribs before boarding himself.

Roger continued, "I think he said this was his stop. Didn't have enough money for this leg of the journey so he would stick around and try to earn some coin. Besides, I don't mind all this extra leg space."

"Coin? Here? In the middle of nowhere?" Earl looked a bit concerned at the thought. Bethma was more like a tribal outpost than an actual village. "He'd have more luck earning money from the lizard folk outside of town than in this place. And I strictly remember him saying he had enough to get him to Velder."

"You strictly remember," Roger chuckled with a shake of his head, "He's a bounty hunter, isn't he? Or some kind of mercenary. I'm sure the sheriff'll have something for him to do. He can catch the next caravan."

Vinny shook his head. "That ain't gonna be for another few days. The road to Velder from Bethma ain't exactly the safest as of late so traders aren't as common going through."

"Well the sooner we get going, the sooner we can get to Velder, right? I'd hate to travel these roads at night so we shouldn't be wasting time here."

Earl nodded at Roger's point. "Right, right. Just need you three's pay for this leg and we'll be on our way."

Roger reached into his bag and pulled out a small hand-made coin purse. Stitched in the likeness of a purple bear complete with ears and button eyes, the purse clearly didn't match the person holding it.

"Did your mother make that?" Vinny joked as Roger fished out three silver coins.

"Huh? Oh, nah. Never knew my ma. This is Pet's."

Earl saw this too and laughed at how cute it was. "Well she did a fine job making that. Should sew me a nice big one for when I become rich, eh?"

Roger laughed with him and the old man left them to their business. Mud laughed as well but Roger knew well enough that the buffoon didn't know what they were laughing about. It was better than being leered at by Pet though.

Minutes passed and their "friend" still hadn't shown up. With one less passenger, the wagons began yet another week-long journey and seeing as he wasn't going to make it, Roger simply kicked back on his seat and dozed off into a nap, enjoying the much needed extra leg room.

* * *

"Boss!" Mud was ruining Roger's dream again. How he hated being disturbed when he was dreaming. This one had a fancy feast, too. Too bad people kept stopping to do toasts at the dinner table for the most mundane things. "Boss! Wake up" Mud called again.

"You better have a damned good reason," Roger grumbled as he rose from his slumber.

"I does! I does, boss!"

"Well? Spit it out!" he yelled loudly only to have Mud smother him with his big square hands, effectively keeping his head pinned on the bench.

"Shh…" Vinny said over his shoulder. It was then that Roger realized that Mud had been speaking in a frantic whisper the entire time and Vinny was sitting more upright than he was visibly comfortable with.

Roger slapped Mud's hand as the pressure he put threatened to push his teeth in and the big oaf relented. "The hells is going on?" the thin man said as he looked out of the wagon towards the front of the caravan. They had stopped and he could hear the old wagoner talking to someone.

Two hooded figures appeared walking along either side of the wagons, both were armed with sword and bow and it didn't take Roger long to realize what they were doing. They both disappeared inside the second wagon and from the sound of rummaging, Roger assumed the worst.

"We're being robbed-" Vinny whispered, voice shaking.

"You think I was born yesterday? I know what's going on."

"You two are soldiers right? Can't you two protect us or something?" the wagoner asked, eyeing the Velder emblem printed on Roger's shin guard.

"Well… yeah… but," Roger mumbled as he motioned for Pet and Mud to keep their head down.

"Then you should help," Vinny said, facing forward as the thieves jumped out of the second wagon and made their way to the third.

"How many are there?" Pet asked, peeking out from behind Mud.

"Four." Vinny replied.

"And Earl?" Roger asked.

"Talking to their leader. Or was. I ain't heard much from the front since they told him to shut up."

"Well there's five of yous," Roger replied, "Can't you defend your cargo yourself?"

The wagoner was visibly angered from that comment and he was physically trying not to shout at the man for such a suggestion. "I have never touched a sword in my life, let alone held a blade of any sort to another man. You two are soldiers. You're armed. And they don't know you're here yet."

"Well if they don't know we're here…" Roger reached for his pack and secured it over his shoulder, "That's our signal to leave."

"What?! You're leaving?" Vinny replied, hysterical at this point.

"Ain't my fight. C'mon, Pet, Mud. Before they spot us."

"Cowards!" Vinny whispered in a voice that trembled not with fear but with venom that visibly stung Roger. "You call yourself soldiers. Yet you'd let a man die without so much as lifting a finger. You're worse than these bandits. You're scum not worth the money our taxes pay you."

Roger quietly hopped out of the back of the wagon, visibly grimacing at the comment as he helped Mud quietly out. He extended a hand towards Pet who still sat at the far end of the wagon. "Hey. C'mon Pet. Or else they'll kill us."

"I'm not going," Pet said, her arms crossed.

"What? Pet, you know better than to just sit and get robbed. C'mon, kid. That ain't what I taught you."

Mud grabbed Roger by the shoulder, "Roger. The bad people…" The bandits dismounted the third car and were making their way to the fourth. It was at this point that one of them saw Roger and Mud standing behind the fifth wagon.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" he called out and hurried to the back with the other bandit following close behind.

Roger cursed under his breath and nodded at Mud. Seeing as running was no longer an option the tall man began digging through his sack for a weapon other than a dagger.

As soon as they rounded the wagon, the first bandit was met with a large square hand as it gripped the top of his head. He yelped, raising his sword and Mud quickly took his arm with his free hand. Because he was short, the square soldier pulled him downward pinning him to the ground and effectively neutralizing him. Roger covered his back from the other bandit with a front kick to the second bandit's chest as he attempted to pull Mud off him.

All the while, Roger was still digging through his pack, looking for the short sword he bought earlier and managed to find it at the bottom after dumping out nearly all the contents. He unsheathed the blade just in time to deflect the stab and the following series of swings aimed at his torso.

"Do I make him dead boss?" Mud asked as the bandit he had pinned struggled under the weight of his palm on his skull.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure," Roger said in between parries. This wasn't good. He could only defend himself. It had been years since he had practiced sparring and his opponent was wild in his swings. Just a relentless left and right offensive that Roger could do nothing but deflect.

"Mud!" Pet called out and at the corner of his eye, Roger saw the other two bandits arrive. One had his bow drawn while the other gave his short partner a swift kick to his rib cage, effectively knocking him off the first bandit who lay on the ground clutching his head.

The bandit who kicked him off was immediately on top of him putting all his weight on his downward thrust with his blade while Mud held the sharp end merely inches from plunging into his neck.

"Roger!" Mud cried out, "Help… please…" Blood ran from the sharpened edges down to the tip and dripped at the short man's collar.

Roger saw but could do nothing as the second bandit was relentless in his attacks, pushing him further and further away from the wagon with each strike. A sharp pain hit the tall man in his rib as the fourth bandit's arrow found its mark. Roger recoiled from the pain, raising his blade weakly to block a blow that knocked the short sword out of his hands.

Roger fell back, the second arrow narrowly missing his head.

He looked up at the bandit who was attacking him, sun cascading over his form as Roger noted his ruthless eyes and the way his nostrils flared as he stared back down at him. His lips were upturned and tight and the valleys on his cheeks were creased. The only thought that crossed his mind in the few moments he had while the bandit was winding up to cut off his head were how stupid he, himself, must have looked when he attacked other people.

A shot echoed through the valley and Roger felt hot blood as it splattered across his face. The bandit standing over him fell with the full weight of a dead body on top of Roger.

Dust was kicked up over his face as a large bird ran past him towards the caravan. All Roger could see after that was the blue sky that hung above him. Pain from the arrow had overtaken him and he couldn't find the strength to move the bandit who lay unmoving on top of him.

There was shouting and more gunfire followed by the thump of something that shook the very earth beneath him. What was going on? Another thump. Roger raised his head and saw a familiar figure in white armor standing where the other bandits once stood. He carried a giant cylinder tightly wrapped in cloth that, Roger noted, would take up a lot of space if they threw it on a wagon. This figure stood over a bandit who had his arms raised defensively as the young man brought the full weight of the cylinder onto him, shaking the ground again as it crushed its victim under it.

"Is everyone okay?" the young man asked after taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Chung!" Pet leapt out of the back of the wagon, throwing herself on him.

Chung laughed, letting go of his destroyer to catch her but cupping her head and turning it gently away from the crushed bodies. Despite having a twelve year old on him, he held her with one hand and offered another to Mud.

"You okay there, Mud?" Chung asked, pulling him up off the dirt and noticing how bloody his hands were.

"I hurt…" Mud mumbled, looking at the deep bloody cuts on his hands.

"I know, Mud… I know," Chung responded as he let Pet down in the wagon, "Get in and I'll see if we got anything here for you, okay?" He then trotted over to Roger who was in the process of pushing the body off of him.

He offered him a hand and Roger hesitated but took it without a word. "That looks like it hurts…" Chung mumbled, pointing at the arrow still in his rib cage.

Roger made a face at him as he stated the obvious but the face quickly turned to pain as he got to his feet. Chung smiled. Even when this man had an arrow stuck in him he had plenty of energy. "Okay, hurry and get in the wagon I'll see what we can do about it as soon as I make sure everyone else is unharmed."

As Roger shuffled his way back to the wagon, the young man shouldered the large case he crushed the bandits with and towed the cockatigle he rode in with. All the while he did a roll call for the remaining members of the caravan as he made his way to the front.

Roger crawled into the wagon and sat down with a pained sigh, the tail of the arrow waved at Mud and Pet with each breath he took. He looked at Mud who was whimpering over the deep bloody cuts in his hands.

Roger strained a laugh. "Aww don't cry you big baby. You're alive, aint you?"

"But it hurts, Roger…" Mud muttered.

"But you can FEEL the pain. That means you're alive, right? That's the important part."

Mud didn't say anything and Roger knew he didn't understand. The lunkhead only really understood things he could get his hands on. He leaned forward, reaching out to him, but stopped as a sharp pain caused him to lean back again.

"Shouldn't you pull that out?" Pet asked, eyeing the arrow shaft as she opened her canteen to pour on Mud's hands.

"Believe me, Pet. I'd love to. But that might make the bleeding worse. I'll wait for mister goody-goody to come back with bandages first."

"Got it right here," Chung responded, appearing with medical supplies and Earl close behind.

"Sheesh, Charlie. You did a number on these bad folks…" Earl said as he passed the bodies littering the area behind the wagon.

Chung climbed into the back of the wagon, sitting next to Roger as he motioned for him to take off his tunic so he can start work. It was a bit complicated with the arrow sticking out but they managed. He spoke as he worked, "It had to be done. I'm not happy about it but they would've killed you… we're gonna have to pull this out."

"If you came earlier we wouldn't have had this problem, either," Roger said.

A glint of guilt could be seen in the young man's eyes as he quickly yanked out the arrow shaft, getting a howl of pain from Roger. "Sorry…" He mumbled, "For that and for not being here when I could have. I seemed to have misplaced my coin pouch last night and I couldn't pay for the fare without it."

"So you stole some poor fella's bird?" Roger asked.

Chung shook his head. "I was going to look for some work but saw some poor merchant being dragged down the valley by his donkey. I rescued him and when I brought him back to town I explained the situation to the sheriff. The merchant was picked clean apparently and had no way of thanking me so he offered to help in any way he could. He vouched for me and the sheriff lent me one of her courier birds to catch up with you guys. And the rest is history. Which reminds me…"

Chung slid to the edge of the wagon, reaching into his wrapped destroyer and pulled out a small pouch of feed. "She said feed this to it and it'll know to go back…" He dumped the contents into his hand. Three heads of greens, each about the size of a chicken's egg, rested in his hand which the bird eyed curiously before walking over to him and gently nipped at the feed. Had he not been wearing his armor the bird might have bitten his fingers off. Satisfied, the bird turned and made its way back the way it came.

"Hmm. Hope it knows how to get back," Chung then turned to Earl who was watching the procedure with mild curiosity. Pet was doing her part as well in tending to Mud's wounds. "Earl? I know this is a bit much to ask: I really don't have any money to pay for this fare but I urgently need to go to Velder… Would it be alright if I rode with you and paid later? I promise to pay what's due at the end of the journey."

A smile crossed the old man's face, "Now after what you did for all of us, I should be the one asking you to stay. 'Course you can ride with us. Consider your whole trip paid for at this point."

Chung blinked, "Really? The whole trip? That's at least two weeks! I can make a few coins at Pilgrim's path maybe and pay for the trip then-"

Earl shook his head. "Boy, I owe you. We all do. Let us repay the favor the best way we can, okay?"

The young man was visibly touched by the offer and this was something he just couldn't refuse. "I think we're good here then, Earl. We should get going before we lose daylight. And… thank you."

"Alright," the old wagoner said, tapping the back of the wagon, "You just send word up the chain if you folks need anything. I'll be sure to come to you first if any more of them good-for-nothings thieves come at us."

The old man left and Chung gave a happy sigh of relief. The young man reached over to his destroyer sitting upright outside and slid it into the wagon, the leg space all but gone as he squeezed back into the wagon with the rest of them. He turned to Roger and began work in cleaning and bandaging the wound. The young man looked up to see Roger pressing his thumb and middle finger on the bridge of his nose, teeth gritted not from pain but from something else. "Is everything okay?" Chung asked as he went back to bandaging the arrow wound.

Roger shook his head. "You know. I think I've seen your coin pouch somewhere."

"Really?" Chung asked, the look of excitement in his cyan eyes. "Where?"

"Ah… where'd I see it… Pet? Can you check your bag?"

The girl already knew what to look for. She dug into her bag and pulled out a small pouch stitched with the likeness of a purple bear complete with ears and button eyes. She was never good at sewing anyways.

"That's it! Where'd you find it?" Chung asked, taking the pouch tenderly into his hands. He checked its contents and sighed in disappointment. "Ah. Looks like whoever found it took a few coins…"

"I found it on the ground," Roger said.

"That's a cute pouch," Vinny said as the wagons started moving. They all looked up and saw that the wagoner was looking at Roger, not Chung. "Where'd you get it from?"

A sad smile crossed Chung's lips. It had only been a week but it felt like months since he had last seen the others. "A… friend made it for me."

Pet tilted her head at him and Roger closed his eyes. He couldn't look at the young man at this point. "Just take care of it next time," Roger said, "It might get stolen if you're not careful."

The young man nodded, clutching the bag tightly, "I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Special thanks to Tiffany, my girlfriend, for taking the time and proofreading this story for me. Hi everyone! This will be the part where I introduce a handful of OCs. Yes, all of them are relevant to the story. I know, not many people like OCs in a predetermined universe, but they're all important to the overall story. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.


	4. The King and His Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having safely made it out of Bethma after days of travel, Chung has slowly come to understand his new acquaintances. Homesickness is beginning to get the better of him, however, and Chung is finding it increasingly harder to cope with leaving the others. With the worst of their journey behind them, the caravan finds themselves having set up camp just outside a Feita graveyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

The Celestial String: a line of stars cutting across the night sky that can be traced from the north star, known as the Nape, down to the south star, known as the Tail. If the young prince's sense of directions were right, they must have been traveling on the road in a south-eastern direction for most of the evening. He had only travelled this road twice in his life: once to help fend off the demons in Velder, and again on the trip back to Elder. It must have been a year ago since he had last been to the red city. If memory served him, they were getting close to Pilgrim's Pass.

Since the attack seven days ago, the caravan had learned to rely on Chung a little more for protection. Thankfully, he wasn't needed for the journey thus far. The worst the caravan had to deal with was a broken axel on the third day while traversing across Bethma valley.

This was surprising in it's own way, considering the numerous tribes of Lizardmen that inhabited hundreds of plateaus across the valley. The Lizardmen were taller than the average human, boasting big, snake-like heads and rows of razor-sharp teeth so numerous and disposable that they often used broken ones to tip their arrows or serate their blades.

Shamanistic in nature, these Lizardmen adorned their bodies with feathers and hides of their greatest hunts and dot their territories and roads with totems depicting the many gods they worshipped.

The roads that cut through Bethma Valley used to be heavily occupied with these humanoids but-according to Aisha-she, Elsword and Rena had struck a deal with one of the more influential shamans of one of the bigger tribes. Chacha Buch was the Lizardman's name and he sought help from the humans living in Bethma village when some evil force was driving his fellow tribesmen into a blood frenzy. This all happened before Chung met Elsword and the others so he wasn't there to experience it for himself- but from the details in Aisha's story, the campaign of cleaning the corruption was almost as bloody as the fight for Velder. Seeing the thousands of totems that lined the road merely echoed what Chung imagined had been a massacre a few years prior.

The caravan had to be careful around these totems along the journey for some were known to be enchanted with magic that could cause severe injury or death to those who drew too close. Fortunately, the wagons encountered only one of these kinds of totems which resulted in the broken axel on the third day. The wagon in question drew too close to a flame totem, one that depicted the skull of a dragon whose maw spat a plume of fire, scaring one of the cockatigles into a mad sprint. The wagon it drew was forced off of the road and into a ditch that knocked the front wheels off, effectively grounding the wagon for most of the morning.

Since then, the drivers had grown extremely cautious around the totems, slowing down their daily progress and forcing their journey to continue well into the night between checkpoints. This was the seventh night and definitely the last, seeing as they crested the edge of the valley earlier in the morning and were traveling to make up lost ground.

The yellow half-moon that hung in the sky cast a dim light over the flat terrain and for the first time in this leg of the trip Chung didn't have to worry about careening off the edge of a steep cliff. What lay ahead of them, however, was a land of desolation. This was Feita, a big open valley walled by mountains that spanned from Bethma all the way to Velder. Crossing this valley would take another five days if they were swift.

It must have been close to midnight when they reached Pilgrim's Pass indicated by the single Velder watchtower. The lone watchtower had a large Velder banner draped on its western face; a sign to outsiders coming in that they were approaching Velder's kingdom. The tower was occupied by a few soldiers and stood among what used to be a fortified outpost. Now all that remained around the tower were remnants of stone walls that once stood two-stories high. The tower overlooked a clearing that rested right beside an old graveyard. The graveyard was yet another remnant of the old outpost and, judging by the size, was the final resting place of at least a hundred proud soldiers and knights.

"Aren't there ghosts?" Pet said as the wagons pulled into the clearing next to the graveyard.

"Sometimes," Vinny said with a half shrug before giving her a smile.

Pet's eyes widened and darted from tombstone to tombstone. "Really?" If she had been sleepy, it would have been all but gone now. "Roger? Are there really ghosts?"

The tall soldier, who had been dozing the entire time, snorted awake. "What? Huh? Where are we?"

"Pilgrim's Pass," Pet said, "Are there really ghosts?"

Roger rolled on his side, turning away from her. "Sure thing… Go for it…" The man had been sleeping most of the trip. His wounds were getting better but it hurt for him to even sit up, according to the guy, leaving Chung to do most of the manual labor such as setting up camp and gathering firewood for the elderly wagoners.

"Chung?" Pet looked to him now, eyes wide with anxiety.

The prince had been in deep thought when they entered Feita. Not a lot of good memories came from this area but he did spend a lot of time here during the initial trip to Velder. Chung gave a nervous laugh. "Ah… well…" He scratched his nose. He knew the answer she wanted to hear but that would be lying. "They… don't show up often. Ghosts, I mean. Demons more so than ghosts but they shouldn't be since the closing of the… gate…"

It was dark but Chung could see he didn't really help as she trembled in nearly palpable fear.

"I mean, you shouldn't see any… It's only if we disturb their grave or-"

"We'll be fine, Pet," Vinny reassured her and pointed up at the watch tower that overlooked the clearing. "Velder soldiers are up there watching over this place day and night and they're unharmed. Plus you got Chung and the rest of us here to protect you. Ain't that right, boy?"

Chung smiled. "Of course. There isn't anything I can't beat. I'll fight off any ghost that comes close to wagons. You'll see."

Pet clutched his forearm tightly. "You better not be lying."

Vinny laughed, "We'll keep the fire fed for you. Don't you worry."

Despite their reassurance, Pet didn't seem too convinced that they were safe and this became apparent after the travelers had finished setting up camp and were turning in for the night. When the snores of the elderly filled the air and Chung was beginning to doze off, himself, Pet was the only one awake and tending to the embers. Every now and then she'd look over her shoulder as if expecting to see some pale-skinned specter. Luckily for her, Chung wasn't fully asleep yet. It was hard to with Mud snoring right next to him, anyways, so he kept an eye on the girl for some time before getting out of his bed roll to join her by the campfire.

"See any ghosts?" Chung asked, catching the girl looking over her shoulder again at the sound of him approaching.

She shook her head.

Chung smiled. "Don't worry. Any bad spirits that had been here are gone now, along with the demons that manifested them."

"How do you know that?" Pet asked.

The prince looked up at the night sky, the moon had already cleared the valley leaving more of the constellation visible for him to admire. "Me and my friends made sure of it."

Pet tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Have you heard about the demons that attacked Velder about a year and a half ago?"

The girl shook her head, drawing her legs closer to her chest. "Well… a little. I think it was on the newspaper but I never learned how to read."

"Oh. Well, would you believe me if I said me and my friends vanquished the demons back and closed the gate of darkness?"

Pet sat up, shaking her head in disbelief. "Did you really?"

Chung nodded. "It actually all started here, in Feita. Up at the top of Feita temple. We'll actually pass by it along the way to Velder. The architecture of the building itself is really quite magnificent… when demon's aren't pouring out from it, of course."

"So there's no more demons there?"

"None. We made sure of it when we shut the gate."

"You and your friends did? You all sound in...incredible!"

Chung sighed, "Yeah…"

Pet saw the smile of his fade. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Chung said with a shake of his head.

"Did… one of your friends… die-"

"No… thank goodness no. It's just…" Chung didn't know how to explain it. There was a lot of things he wanted to get off his chest since he left the group two weeks ago and he had no one he felt he could just vent to.

"Where are your friends now?"

Chung shrugged. "Bethma, I believe. Raven wanted to establish a base of operations and they were going to investigate something but I wasn't listening-"

"Were they mean to you?" Pet asked, "Is that why they kicked you out?"

Chung saw a fire in the girl's eyes that he felt was misguided. He reached out and patted the girl on her head, his smile returned. "Calm down, Pet. No, they weren't mean. I left on my own accord."

"Why?"

"Different priorities."

"Oh…"

They were silent for a long moment and Chung felt that his answer was disappointing to his little listener. He opened his mouth to speak again but she jumped in before he could say more.

"What is 'priorities'?"

"Huh?"

"You use a lot of big words, Chung. Like priorities and… ark… arka… arkature…"

"Architecture."

"And… there was a few more."

"How old are you, again?" Chung asked.

"Twelve… I know. I'm not as smart as the average kid. I was never sent to school…" Pet said, eyes dropping.

"When I was your age I didn't go to school, either," Chung said in an attempt to make her feel better.

"How'd you get so smart, then?"

"I… had a personal teacher." He suddenly remembered that he still needed to apologize to Aisha for the way he treated her during the last night they were together.

"Your friends, again?"

"Yeah…"

"You always bring them up. But you never really talk about them. What were they like?"

"They're all different people from different walks of life. They all have their goals and we all manage to stick together despite going on long campaigns where we don't see each other for several months."

"How did you all meet?"

"That's a long story."

"I'm not sleepy."

Chung looked at her and he could see the genuine curiosity in her eyes now. "Well… if you really want me to go into detail…"

"Just not big words, okay?"

Chung laughed, "I'll try and remember."

* * *

He didn't want to say it but the mission was an absolute failure. All back up plans from A to Z had been compromised and the group of five had no choice but to retreat. Where they could retreat to was another problem all on its own as their only exit had been blocked and their only choice was to move deeper into the massive metal fortress.

Chung was the last through the thick blast door since he had to lug around a large Hamelian destroyer. Darkness engulfed them as the door shut behind them with a loud slam. The sound of metal on metal echoed loudly in the chamber they were locked in and it took some time before the pounding on the door ceased. They waited, half expecting the deafening echoes to pick up at any moment.

"Is everyone okay?" A rough voice of a man broke the silence and the sounds of the rest of the party breathing a synchronized sigh of relief was a good enough answer.

"I can't see," the voice of a young boy said, "Anyone got a light?"

"I do," a girl said. Moments later a dim amber flame flickered to life as the tip of the girl's magical staff illuminated their surroundings. She had purple hair, purple eyes, and wore the white uniform representing the magical school she was currently studying in. Her name was Aisha. From what Chung had seen, she possessed powerful spells that bent the elements to her will. She puffed at the winged staff as if blowing into a kindling flame and the light grew bright enough for them to see each other's faces.

"Where are we?" the boy with flame-red hair asked as he scanned the large room. Dressed in a red and black trainee's garb, the knight-in-training poked at some strange devices with a red blade bearing a white cross. This was Elsword. A 13-year-old boy with incredible swordsmanship. Like the rest of the fortress they had infiltrated, they were surrounded by metal. Technology far more advanced than anything else in the world lined these walls and covered the floor before them.

"A dead end, looks like," the elf accompanying them replied. Her voice was like the wind. The magical blade at her hip looked far-less used than the worn bow she gripped tightly on her left hand. Long green hair cascaded down past her hips and was wrapped loosely in black lace to keep it from flying everywhere. Rena was clearly the oldest, being an elf, and her authority over the younger members was something Chung was quick to pick up on. "But we should be close to our destination if this 'king' of theirs really is at the very bottom of this facility."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, kid? I'm sorry, what was your name, again?" the man said. He had black hair and was dressed in a clean white top and black pants. He carried a saber on his right hand and had a strange robotic left arm which he kept tightly wrapped and unused in white cloth. This was Raven, a veteran swordsman who outright refuses to use his robotic arm. They had all met only days ago and this was their first big mission together. Chasing bounty was what brought these people together and they all had a common goal: reach the Nasod King.

"Chung," the young boy responded. He was clearly the youngest in the group seeing as he was nearly a head shorter than the boy with the red hair. He had blond, bowl-cut hair with small brown tips on two locks and bright, innocent, cyan eyes that were both eager and anxious for their next move. He donned white plated armor that looked far too big for his small stature and carried a cannon that was almost twice his size.

"Right," Raven said, "We're already neck deep in Nasod territory with a swarm of Type-W9s on our heels. For every one we cut down the foundry quickly produces two to take it's place. At this rate I don't see why we can't just destroy the king's core and end it there. Why even bother trying to reason with it when those things are trying to kill us every step of the way?"

Chung nodded. He was right. But at the same time he couldn't shake the memory of his encounter with the two rogue Nasods: Ignis and Leviathan. Nasods-as Chung had learned from history books and the many personal encounters since he arrived on this floating island-were mindless machines. The ones that survived to this day were mere shadows of a great war that ended over a thousand years ago; an empty husk of steel with no ability to think and feel for their own. They drilled rocks with no valuable minerals, watered dirt of a non-existent garden, and killed anything that wasn't a Nasod on-sight. They were a threat to the peaceful Ponggos who shared the floating island with these machines and Chung swore that he would destroy every last one of these machines. At least that was before he met Ignis and Leviathan.

The two machines he encountered in the Nasod Testing fields had broken free from this mysterious Nasod King's network and developed their own cognitive thought. This separated them from the mindless machines that answered to no one but their king and this uniqueness was why they had been targeted for interrogation by Raven. They refused to cooperate, of course, fearing that Raven and the others only wanted to enslave them. Before they died by Raven's blade, they both turned to Chung. He had no idea why they chose him, but as the light faded from their visual sensors, they both said in unison, "Save. Our. King."

"I know… I hate these machines just as much as you do, Raven, but…" It all sounded so stupid, now. Why was he thinking otherwise? Because two robots he considered enemies told him not to? But what if these machines had cognitive thought? What if each one was a unique life enslaved by the Nasod King? Would destroying the core, thus killing all Nasods within the network be the best option?

"I'm with you." A hand fell on his shoulder and Chung turned to see Elsword, a big confident grin on his face. "If Chung says we can reason with this Nasod King, I'm all for it. And if we can't then we can just destroy the core, right? We have to at least try."

"Thanks, Elsword," the boy said.

"Don't thank me, yet," he said as he went back to exploring the room, "Thank me after the Ponggos and Nasods get along and we have a giant banquet to celebrate!"

Chung watched as Elsword continued poking around and he couldn't help but smile at that optimism. It was stupid but it helped.

"Fine," Raven said with a sigh. Chung could tell from the man's face that he was running less than favorable scenarios in his head. "But first we gotta figure out how to even get to the Nasod King."

"Is there even another exit in this room?" Aisha asked, raising the staff and following Elsword into an area sectioned off by observation windows.

"It doesn't look like it," Rena responded as she looked at the blast door controls. "Going back out there might be our only option. We might have to wait until things calm down outside."

"That's not going to be for a while," Raven said, "These are machines we're talking about. They'll stand guard for as long as their batteries let them."

"Do they even run on batteries?" Chung wondered.

Raven shook his head, "I don't know-"

"Guys! Look what I found!" Elsword shouted excitedly from inside the observation chamber.

The other three hurried over, stumbling over Nasod tech along the way to find Aisha covering her ears and Elsword pressing his face over a green pod.

"Can you not yell in my ear, you idiot!" Aisha yelled back.

"It's not my fault! You're the one standing too damned close to me!"

"Why, you…!"

The two were at each other's throats for the third time today causing Rena to pull them apart.

Chung approached the pod Elsword found. It was big. Big enough to hold a human. It was hard to make out with the Aisha's magic light reflecting off the green tinted glass but Chung could tell there was someone, or something, inside of it.

"Uh… there's something in there, everyone," Chung said, backing away and clutching the cannon he carried around with him.

Suddenly the pod lit up and all attention fell on Elsword who was busy pushing buttons at a nearby console. "Yeah, I know!" he said excitedly, "That's why I called you all over here."

"Elsword!" Aisha yelled, "What are you doing?! You don't know what's in there!"

"Relax. There's five of us and only one of it. We can beat it up if it's a bad guy," he reassured her. The pod opened, letting out a cloud of smoke that quickly blotted out Aisha's light source. Green lights flooded from inside the pod as the door swung wide. Through the thick mist a figure stood, casting a definitive shadow as light shined behind it.

From where Chung stood, he could see the shadow had thick cables attached to it. It had three heads, two arms, and two legs but it clearly wasn't a human.

"A Nasod!" Chung declared as he took a siege stance and pointed the cannon at the enemy. He waited as the cloud covered the whole room. There was no sound of attack and he couldn't tell if it was even safe to fire without harming the others.

The clouds settled and the green light faded. Aisha's illumination spell shined through the fading mist and the Nasod in question stood unmoved before them. Chung saw that the three heads were in fact only one with two separate Nasods-a black and white drone-on either side of her. At least he thought it was a her. This was the first time he recognized a distinct gender in a Nasod.

She stood before them in a white long-sleeve and black pants that hugged her lithe form. She had a black mantle, white gloves, and white boots that reached all the way up to her mid thigh. Long, unkempt white hair flowed down to her hips and a brilliant blue core peeked out behind messy bangs. Golden eyes scanned the people before her and those eyes immediately turned to the boy who had set her free.

"You," she said, pointing a finger at him. The drones at either side of her set themselves between her and Elsword, as if waiting for him to make the first move. "What is the meaning of this? Why has a human awakened me?" Her voice was flat. Not robotic as it sounded very much like a human's but the anger she clearly held wouldn't have been apparent if one listened to her voice alone.

Elsword hesitated and Aisha, who was using him as a human shield nudged him forward.

"Uh…" was all Elsword could mutter.

"Answer immediately," she demanded in what Chung could decipher as annoyance.

"I was, uh… curious? About what was inside? I'm Elsword by the way. What's your name?"

The Nasod stared at him as if he was lying. Everyone else knew that, as idiotic as it sounded, it was the absolute truth.

"Do you realize what you've done, human?" She asked, still pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"I… woke you up." Elsword stated.

"My core was programmed to provide energy to the Nasod race. Any energy spent awake is energy that could have powered the production of thousands of Nasod citizens. Your ignorance has delayed-nay-doomed the lives of millions of future Nasods."

"Alright, alright… so go back to bed already, sheesh," Elsword said, grabbing her by the shoulders and moving her back to the pod. This physical contact caused the drones to fly in between them, pushing him rather forcefully away while the Nasod gave him a rather hard slap across the face, one that echoed like a whip in the observation room. It was enough to cause even Raven to wince from the sight.

"Don't you dare touch me, human!"

The slap didn't go unanswered as Aisha placed herself defensively in front of Elsword. "Hurt him again and I'll kill you."

"Do you wish to die, commoner?" the Nasod asked, stepping back while the drones traced a blue circle in front of the female Nasod.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Raven said from behind her. "Try anything stupid and you'll be without a head before you can even blink.

"Wait!" Rena shouted, putting herself between the Nasod and Aisha. "Hold on a minute. Little Nasod girl," she began turning to the machine and bending down to speak to her, "You said you were powering the Nasod race, right? So you're the main power source?"

"Yes, elf. I am the sole provider for my dead race. Without me, Nasods would be doomed to extinction."

"Well that just makes our job easy," Raven said. The tip of his saber was pressed to the back of the Nasod's neck-yet not an ounce of fear was present on the her face. "If we kill you then we don't have to even reach King Nasod.

"Why are you trying to kill my King?" Eve asked, aware that any sudden movements would be fatal on her part.

"We're not, remember?" Elsword said over Aisha's shoulder. "We just want to talk to him. Get him to stop killing everyone on this island."

It was then that the Nasod's facial expression changed. Confusion was written all over her face. "Killing? What do you mean?"

"That king of yours is building an army to push out the Ponggos that your kind share this floating island with!" Chung said from the safety of the other end of the room. "If we don't stop him, he could potentially build an army that would take over the whole world."

"That… can't be true…" The female Nasod dropped her guard. "King Nasod… using my energy to build an army? That's not what I planned."

"Your King has other plans it seems," Aisha said through gritted teeth. Not a moment has passed since the Nasod hurt Elsword that she let her guard down. "He has a lot to answer for."

"King Nasod answers to  _me_ ," the female Nasod said, authority returning to her voice. " _I'm_  the one that created him. Therefore if what you're saying is true then he is my responsibility." She turned to her drones. "Moby, Remy, disengage primary connections."

The drones flew about the room, pressing buttons and pushing levers that cut power from the pod. The rest of the room lit up and the cables connected to the Nasod fell off her back with a heavy clang as it hit the metal floor.

She stepped away from the others, past Chung as she exited the observation room. "Where are you going?" Chung asked, still pointing the cannon at her.

She made her way to the blast door, extending her hand to it as a holo-projection of a keyboard appeared before her. The Nasod turned back to them, "To the core. To speak to King Nasod." Her fingers danced over the hologram, activating the lock mechanism. A series of mechanical locks were turned and the pressurized door slowly hissed open.

"Wait!" Raven called. "There are enemies waiting out there, you'll-"

The group stood in shock as the moment she stepped out into the core chamber, the W9s and sniper units immediately knelt before her.

"They're… not attacking," Aisha whispered.

The Nasod stopped and turned to them. "They know who I am," she said, "Any damage I sustain could doom our race. If you wish to leave this place I suggest you follow closely behind."

Elsword was the first to move, taking the invitation at face value. "Well? You heard her. We just gotta follow her to the core."

Chung didn't move. "I don't trust her. What would stop her from ordering the machines to kill us once we step out of this room?"

"If we don't we'll be stuck in there forever, right? Besides. She's on our side. She said she'd talk to the king, after all." Elsword said, giving them that confident grin that would surely be the death of them sometime in the future.

Reluctantly, the group exited the room and made their way out into the core chamber. The chamber itself was huge. If the floating Island of Altera was big enough to fit a small kingdom in it's entirety, the chamber-which was dug into the floating foundation, would be big enough to fit a castle. This hollowed-out, metal-walled room consisted of multiple floor levels that circled around a giant metal pillar at the center. The only way in was through special elevators that would carry the passengers from one of the levels through one of the triangular entrances that dotted the sides of this central structure. Previous attempts to access these moving platforms only resulted in alerting the security grid which consequentially cornered Chung and the others into their situation.

Although he didn't want to admit it then, Chung believed this would be the end of them-that they were to be stuck in that locked room until they starved to death. Fortune was a complicated mistress, however, for this Nasod that they had freed proved to be far more useful than anything he could have wished for. Stepping out, the group realized just how much they actually needed this particular Nasod as literally hundreds of W9s, enough to cover the entire floor in a sea of glinting blades, had been waiting just outside the blast door, unmoved by the intruders' presence. The group cautiously tailed the female Nasod, taking extra care not to fall too far behind.

Chung clutched at his destroyer like Aisha clutched at Elsword's arm as he lead the the others behind the female Nasod. If what she's saying is true, Chung thought as he watched the W9s move aside when the female approached them, then she may be the key in convincing the king to our side.

"Hey," Elsword said as the Nasods cleared a path before the female, "I never caught your name. This here is Aisha. The short kid is Chung, the guy with the Nasod arm is Raven, and the elf is Rena."

The Nasod was silent for a long while as she made her way towards the giant cylinder at the center of the room that housed the Nasod core. She looked over her shoulder at Raven, golden eyes focusing on the arm wrapped in cloth. "Eve."

"Nice to meet you, Eve," Elsword said.

She didn't respond and continued to eye the man's robotic arm with keen interest up until they boarded one of the moving platforms. Eve took her eyes off him as a keyboard hologram appeared in front of her. After punching in a few keys, the lift began to move. Only then did she speak again. "Raven."

"Yes?" the man answered.

"How did you acquire our technology?"

Raven looked at the arm attached to him. It was wrapped tightly in cloth in such a way that the bladed fingers could not move. An orange core could be seen glowing through the fabric where the back of his palm would be and every now and then, the arm involuntarily twitched as if trying to fight its way out of the wrappings.

"It's not like I cut my own arm off and bolted this thing on me. This was all your kind's fault," he said, clutching at the forearm with his human hand.

"Explain," she said, turning her back to him as she looked over the Nasods at the platform they had just stepped off of. They were still kneeling, and as their lift moved further towards the giant pillar, she could see thousands of other combat-ready Nasods kneeling in the platforms above and below.

Raven's grip around the mechanical arm tightened as he was forced to remember all the events that brought him to where he was today. "That's none of your concern," he said through gritted teeth.

"It is," Eve responded, looking back over her shoulder at him, "I'd like to assess the current state of my kingdom before I speak with the king. With your irrelevant human emotions aside, I want a detailed account on how a primitive ape can fuse with high-tech Nasod equipment."

A fire was lit in Raven's eyes and the hand clutching the machine arm moved to the saber at his hip. "Damned pile of scrap, what did you call me?"

A soft hand rested on his and he looked to Rena who stood beside him, shaking her head. "Can we please be civilized and keep the name-calling to a minimum? Eve, Raven was captured by your kind and they attached this thing to him. It had some kind of mind-control power that made him do unspeakable things to others."

"It was some sick experiment!" Raven said, struggling to contain his anger. "They wanted to create an army like me. Soldiers who could infiltrate cities and take it down from the inside. I've killed so many people against my will because of it. So much blood was spilled by my hands and I couldn't even take my own life to stop it because of this damned arm. That's why I'm here. I want to destroy your king and avenge those who lost their lives to this arm."

"I see," Eve said. The flat response almost pushed Raven past his limit and it took Elsword and Chung to hold him back as even the mechanical arm began to tremble uncontrollably.

"You. The one named Chung. Why are you here?" Eve asked, ignoring the embodiment of hate that tried to fight its way to her throat.

Chung struggled to hold the man back, gripping his mechanical arm. But even his strength wasn't enough to keep the arm from nearly wrenching itself free.

"I told you already," he said amidst his struggles to keep Raven down. "The Ponggos are being attacked by your kind. They asked me to help and I agreed."

"I know that. But why are you helping the Ponggos? They are not of your race. One shouldn't delve into politics that doesn't concern their kind."

"Like I could just watch your kind slaughter them! They're peaceful miners looking for El shards to trade. They've done nothing wrong to your kind."

"So that's why King Nasod has decided to attack them…" Eve said in thought.

"And I'm here because I want to help!" Elsword chimed in but getting ignored by the Nasod in turn.

"Rena. What business does an Elf have with these humans?" Eve asked.

"Oh… well, I've found myself quite attached to these two," she said motioning to Elsword and Aisha. "I've met them a little more than a year ago when a thief stole the treasure of our El tree. These two helped me retrieve it and we've kept in touch ever since. It seemed like our paths crossed every time there was a disaster around Ruben or Elder. I'd often race to the scene at the first sign of trouble but these two always seemed to be the first to respond. I'm actually beginning to think they're cause of all my troubles." The comment garnered a nervous laugh from Elsword and Aisha.

"So your presence here has no relevance?" Eve asked. Now Rena was visibly ticked off but her resolve was much stronger than the rest and she simply responded with a shake of her head and a smile.

They passed the triangular gate into the inner sanctum of the core chamber. Within the thick metal walls was yet another large chamber. Naturally it wasn't as big as the room beyond the thick walls but it was still wide enough to fit Elder's town square in. Vertically, the space was much larger as the inner pillar stretched upwards a few hundred meters back to the island's surface level. The lift brought them to the ground floor of this massive room where, at the center of it all, the King of Nasods waited for them.

Unlike the other Nasods, this machine was massive. Standing before them-or rather, floating since the machine consisted of a torso, a head and two disembodied arms-the king was clad in black metal plates that protected his frame. Special orange muscle weave was visible in his joints and a large red core was visible on his chest. He had no face but a black protective mask with an orange visor where his eyes should be. The chamber that housed him, as big as it was, stretched only as far as he could reach with one disembodied hand.

Their entry did not go unnoticed as the King was already facing them when the group entered with Eve in the lead.

"My queen," the king's voice was low and echoed across the chamber like a low growl, "Your return is ahead of schedule. Preparations for the fourth and fifth phase of our race's revival are still ongoing."

"Did he just call her a queen?" Aisha whispered to Chung in disbelief. "To think we'd see both a king and a queen of Nasods!"

"How do you think they, you know,  _do it_?" Elsword whispered to Aisha getting a heavy punch in the arm from the mage.

"How would I know that?!"

"On the contrary," Eve shouted up towards the king who looked down on her. "It appears I've awoken just in time. By a human of all things, as well," Eve said, standing with her arms crossed and looking up at the king. One could say the size difference was comparable to that of a mouse staring down an elephant.

"I was aware of the intruders and have taken defensive measures. Perplexing though, as they have been escorted to the sanctum of my chambers. Why have you brought them here, my queen?" The king leaned down more to their level, the sound of metal grinding on metal as his body moved. "Their presence here is a threat to our objective. If they destroy my core, all our progress would be lost."

"Your assumptions are wrong, king," Eve said, "They demand an audience with you. And so do I."

"Your authority aside, what could these humans hope to gain by demanding my audience?"

"We want you to stop!" Chung called out, getting everyone's attention. With eyes on him he felt this was the best opportunity as long as Eve was there to protect them. "The Ponggos of this floating island have done nothing to hurt your kind yet you openly slaughter them."

"Our goal is to collect El shards," the king said in his deep mechanical voice, "Nasod life depends on El energy to survive. The Ponggos' mining operations have interfered and thus greatly inhibited our ability to produce enough energy to remain on schedule."

"Couldn't you have just traded with them?"

"Our resources on this island are limited. Engaging in trade would only limit our expansion more. It is significantly more efficient to exterminate than to come to a compromise with a race that does not fight back."

That was their reason? Chung thought as anger welled at the bottom of his gut. Innocents had been killed because it was 'more efficient'? "That's not fair!" he said, "The Ponggos would have been happy to trade even if it took a bit more time. You could have lived on peacefully like that!"

"Fairness and peace are irrelevant. Your kind… should know this most of all when it comes to these matters."

"My kind? You mean humans? If anything we have more compassion and fairness in one strand of hair than you have in your whole body! You-"

"Are you finished yet?" Eve interjected, a tone of impatience in her voice.

"Ignis and Leviathan!" Chung continued at the king, "They told me to save you. You're doing this against your people's will as well!"

"Save you?" Eve asked, "Who're the ones you speak of?"

"Rogue Nasods. His own experimental weapons told me to save the him. I thought Nasods were mindless machines. But they've shown me that they can think for themselves. They don't want to fight. None of them do. And you know it. You're forcing them with the same mind-controlling technology you've used on Raven."

"Silence," the king boomed, "You speak of things you do not understand."

"I understand it enough to know your citizens don't want to be a part of this."

"Though it may be true that some Nasods express discontent in our ways, we all know that the ultimate goal is worth the sacrifice. This was all planned by her, after all," he said, pointing a giant finger at Eve.

All focus was on Eve now and the group expected her to deny it. Instead she simply flicked her messy hair over her shoulder and said nothing.

"Wait, really?" Elsword shouted in disbelief. "You're the one that planned all of this?"

The little Nasod sighed, raising a hand to silence him. "It's true," Eve said as she moved to the king and turned back to the others. "I alone contain the means of reviving the Nasod race. I programmed the king's central core and used my own El energy to power him. Yes, it was me who has given him the objective of harnessing the power of El. I've tasked him to slowly rebuild our nation from the ground up. It must have been difficult to progress as far as he has and he has done his best in the several hundred years I've slumbered. For that I am grateful."

"Your praise honors me, my queen," the king boomed.

"However, King Nasod, my vision of a thriving nation did not include the production of readily available weapons of war. I've seen your defensive measures. Those abominations you call Nasods are out there ready to kill these intruders at a moment's notice. The one called Raven: what have you done to him? My vision did not include hybrid Nasod splinter groups built for the sole purpose of infiltration and assassination. Ignis and Leviathan: these Nasod rogues asked these humans to 'save' you. How desperate and how pitiful they must have been to beg for help from the enemy.

"I've constructed you with the purpose of collecting El shards and reviving my race- _our_  race. Your directive did not include the subjugation of neighboring lifeforms or our own kind for that matter. It did not include experimentation of human mind-control nor did it have anything to do with the development of an advanced military.

"You've deviated far from your original coding, King Nasod. By my rationale, you have gone rogue and must be deactivated." Eve extended a hand as a screen was projected in front of her. Thousands of lines of code flew through the projection. For any human it would be impossible to see what the little Nasod was doing as her hands worked quickly adding, moving, and deleting specific lines of code to what everyone assumed was the king's programming.

The king's fists clenched tightly as the whole chamber that housed him rumbled and as Eve worked, it appeared that she had not completely grown aware of the environment as the lights shifted from white to red around them.

"Wait, deactivating him? What does that mean?" Chung called out to Eve who seemed to ignore him as steam billowed out of the several vents around the king's body. "Wait! That wasn't what we planned for! We were supposed to convince him to stop the Nasod attacks. What's going to happen if you deactivate him?" Chung stomped up behind the queen and grabbed her by the shoulder.

This got her attention and she quickly jerked away from him like he was some kind of disgusting beast. "When I deactivate him, all production and processes under his core network will cease. Now don't touch me, human. I have work to do."

Chung didn't understand and it was clear in the expression he made which only made the little Nasod frustrated.

Eve took a moment amidst her work to draw a comparison the boy might understand. "By removing the brain, all things connected to the brain will cease to function and die. I will remove the brain to this body and simply start over."

Chung stood there as he tried to process what she said. "So you're killing him?" Chung yelled in disbelief.

"What?!" The rest of the group called in unison. The lack of denial on Eve's part was all the proof they needed.

"Chung! Look out!" Raven said, pointing upward.

The boy looked up. A massive clenched fist was crashing down on Chung and the Nasod. Thinking quick on his feet, he grabbed the Nasod by the waist and flung her towards the group before she had a chance to protest. Gripping his cannon, he pulled the trigger, letting the sheer recoil of the powerful gun propel him away narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.

His ears were ringing as the entire room echoed loudly from the impact. Looking back at the others, Elsword was helping Eve get back on her feet while the other two girls covered their ears from the deafening crash. Raven looked to be shouting at the prince. He couldn't make out what he was saying but from his hand motions the boy knew he was telling him to get out of there. The man pointed upward and, looking up, he saw another fist mere moments away from coming down on him.

Chung raised his hands defensively. He was still on the ground. There was no way he could avoid it. The ground shook around him but strangely he felt no pain. Is that how death is like? He wondered. Opening his eyes he found himself staring up at the palm of the king's hand. Raven stood over him, blade clasped tightly in his human arm and mechanical arm unwrapped and burning a furious red glow.

Raven spoke but Chung couldn't hear. He pulled him up with his mechanical arm but Chung couldn't find the strength to maintain his balance. The boy was thrown out from under the palm and it became apparent that he had made a clean cut through the king's middle, ring, and little finger to prevent the boy from being crushed. It was after he was thrown out that Chung noticed something about the man: A black machine with a red core clung to his back like a large parasite. It had four spiked fingers which it had freely driven into his limbs, enhancing his strength and movement. This was likely the reason why he was able to reach the boy so quickly and cut so effortlessly. The core released itself from him, painfully separating from his limbs and hanging at his side as if waiting for his next command.

"I said  _move_!" Raven yelled. He swung his blade again, cutting the rest of the fingers off before making his way around the outer edge of the chamber and away from the others. Having successfully grabbed the king's attention, Raven ducked and dodged the swings with unbelievable agility.

Chung hurried over to the others. Miraculously he was unscathed from the whole ordeal and his hearing was slowly returning to him.

"We have to shut him down!" Eve said through gritted teeth. She obviously was not happy with what the young prince had done. "Buy me time and I'll have him deactivated as soon as I can-"

"No!" Chung protested, "We have to try to convince him to stop attacking!"

"Do you think that's even possible right now?" The little Nasod said, "Look at him! In a few moments that human will be killed."

Looking back, Chung could see Raven just as the fingerless palm swatted at him. The core attempted to block the blow but he was still sent flying across the room.

"That's because you tried to kill him! This is your fault he's acting like this!" Chung exclaimed.

" _My_  fault?" Eve said, an intense glare falling on the boy, "I'm removing a rogue machine. I'm simply following basic Nasod protocol. He is a danger to my race and his swift deactivation is what you humans would call mercy."

"But what about the rest of the Nasods? You said removing him will kill the rest of the network! All your citizens will die!"

"It's a necessary sacrifice," Eve said, her expression unchanged.

"If anything  _you're_  the danger to this race! There are thousands of lives just outside this room and you're going to just kill  _all_  of them?"

Eve stood face to face with him. Even the little Nasod had to look down at him from her height. "If. I. Must."

"Guys? Can we save the arguing for later?" Elsword said as he backed into Chung, catching the other's attention. Multiple doors opened on the king's back and dozens of miniature swarmer missiles were launched.

"Aisha, Chung," Rena called, nocking an arrow on her bow, "I hope you can hit flying targets." She took a deep breath, breathing el magic onto her arrow which began to glow a faint green. "Perfect storm!" She loosed the bow pointed at the ground a good distance in front of them. The arrow struck the metal ground, transferring its magical properties at the point of contact. A magical wisp formed that quickly generated an explosion of wind energy, twisting the air around the contact zone. The end result was a small but powerful tornado that threatened to fill the entire chamber with its destructive winds. Swarmer missiles caught in its vicinity were immediately sucked into the vacuum, destroying it outright or confusing the missile's guidance system. Rena quickly knocked another three arrows and with superior precision, detonated another three missiles that managed to avoid the funnel of wind.

Chung's accuracy was less than favorable. Still not accustomed to using the cannon, he fired wildly into the air in an attempt to shoot the missiles down but missing horribly with each shot. He needed something faster; much faster than the cannon he carried around. It was situations like this that he felt truly useless. If we get out of this alive, he thought to himself, I really need to find a better weapon.

All his shots missed but connected with the king's massive body. The blasts dented but ultimately did little to the thick metal frame. This did little more than remind the king that there were additional threats in the room and raised his arm to crush the grouped members.

"Chain… lightning!" Aisha cast her spell at the closest swarmer missile and the bolt of electricity arced from one nearby missile to the next, creating a string of explosions that moved up the room and into the missile pods. The resulting explosion on King Nasod's left missile pod damaged the plate wirelessly connecting his torso to his left arm, essentially destroying the entire left shoulder and causing the disembodied limb to fall lifelessly against the king's body.

"Nice job, Aisha!" Elsword said, taking the opportunity to charge up the length of the arm and up the damaged limb plate. Rena fired an arrow, catching a stray missile that would have struck Elsword as the boy rushed to the king's exposed neck. Elsword stood on the orange muscle weave alloy and the king craned his neck around to him. With one limb completely disabled he could only use his damaged right hand to try to swat the mosquito-sized threat away.

The sound of a blade cutting steel echoed through the chamber as Raven severed the hand at the wrist.

Elsword drove his blade deep into the muscle weave and, gripping the hilt, slashed outward. The head fell limp as the muscle was severed but the king was very much still alive. With his limbs disabled and defenses down, the king was helpless before the intruders.

"My queen," the king's voice boomed just as loud as ever despite his damaged body, "What I have done, I've done for the greater good of our race. Why must I be deactivated?"

Eve said nothing and finished inputting commands on her console. The floor in front of Aisha and Chung opened up and a large cylinder jutted out of the ground. It had thick cables running from the bottom of it and glowed a magnificent green that was clearly magical in nature.

"What is that?" Aisha asked, sensing the magical energies emanating from within the thick glass casing. It was easily three times her height and towered over the others like a brilliant star. "I can feel the power of El coursing through this. It's like a container of pure El energy.

"This is the king's network core. It's tainted with… some kind of green El energy. It's no wonder he has gone rogue." Eve said as she opened another console, "I've managed to disable the extensive security protocols that kept this from being accessed. With it exposed, I can deactivate him."

"No," the king said. "No!"

"Eve…" Chung began, "He can't even defend himself. Can't we at least try to convince him to stop his senseless killing?"

Eve ignored him and began working through the immense coding for the core. As she worked parts of the facility began shutting down.

"What… have I… done wrong…" the king said, his voice slowing as more and more of key code strings were disabled.

"Eve!" Chung yelled. "Stop it this instant!"

In a cry of desperation the king shouted, "No!"

Red flashed on the little Nasod's projections and she seemed visibly taken aback by the amount of security firewalls that were re-erected to stop her. She stamped her foot in frustration. "You are corrupted, King Nasod. Your deactivation is inevitable. Why do you resist?"

"How long is this going to take?" Raven said, clutching his side. "I'd like to get this over with and back to the surface as soon as possible. I think I broke a few ribs… Maybe… maybe more than a few ribs…"

"A few hours," Eve said, looking over the firewalls that popped up in her projections as she tried to deactivate each and every one of them.

"Can't we just talk to him, then?" Chung asked.

Elsword leapt down from the king's neck. "I don't see why not," he said as he ran over to the rest of them. "I mean we have the time."

Raven winced in pain as he limped his way towards the others. "You're… really adamant about convincing him, aren't you?" Raven was clearly against it, having suggested they simply destroy the core earlier, but there was respect in his tone when he spoke.

"It was Ignis and Leviathan's dying wish," Chung responded, "Besides, wouldn't it be better if we could get the Nasods and the Ponggos to work together? I'm sure that both sides would be happy if-"

Raven collapsed. Falling flat on his abdomen he let out a pained cough with blood oozing out of his mouth.

"Oh gods… Raven!" Rena immediately came to the man's side and rolled him on his back. His breathing was shallow and ragged. It didn't take long for the man to lose consciousness. "Hang on! Raven… if you can hear me, just hang on."

"Stand back," Eve said to the others. She raised a finger to the air and traced a circle above her. A blue halo of El energy formed and her drones, Moby and Remy, flew along the halo like a rail, opening a dimensional portal that flowed with data. The data rained on Eve, taking form of a long tube that was mounted on the Nasod's shoulder. The tube formed a grip, a targeting lens, and a shoulder guard that fit on the little Nasod's shoulder perfectly. It formed a forward grip, a blast guard, and finally a trigger at her fingertips.

Chung stepped forward, "Eve? What are you-"

"I said stand back!"

She pulled the trigger.

The rocket that left the barrel connected with the network core, shattering the glass before exploding in a brilliant white, blue, and green flash that blasted its contents all over the floor in front of the king. The lights in the entire facility cut out, sending the whole underground kingdom spiraling into a void that was as dark as it was silent. The mess of green matter was the only source of light in the chamber and it quickly faded, forcing the members to depend on Aisha's illumination spell once more.

"What just happened?" Elsword said, fanning the smoke away from his face. "Is everyone okay?"

"She just destroyed the king's core…" Aisha said. "I think that means all the Nasods are…"

"Dead…?" Chung mumbled, "Does that mean she's also…?" He squinted his eyes as he tried to focus on all the faces through the darkness and was shocked to find Eve's so close to his. He backed away as the illumination spell as the tip of Aisha's staff was drawn closer to the golden-eyed girl.

She stood there, with her arms crossed and drones hovering just behind her. With a snap of her fingers, both Moby and Remy flipped on miniature headlights, shining it directly at Chung who shielded himself from the brightness. "No. I'm still functional," she said turning and making her way back to the elevator.

"What did you do?!" Chung asked as the rest of the group followed the Nasod on to the unpowered elevator. Elsword assisted Rena in dragging Raven's broken body towards the lift.

"It's as the female human said: I destroyed King Nasod's core."

"Then… how are you still alive?" Aisha asked, "Weren't all Nasods connected to the network deactivated?"

"Both your assumptions are wrong, human," she said, reaching into the side of her head. The cone-like plates at the side of her head opened up and she withdrew a thin wire from it. She plugged it into the elevator's control console and it came to life. With the lift functioning once again, she pressed a few buttons and the lift began to move.

Eve turned to the others, "Firstly, I wasn't connected to the king's network. I was never a part of it to begin with which was why I was unaware of the progress he had made when you woke me. I programmed him a thousand years ago and he carried on creating with me functioning as a power source and nothing more. Secondly, I didn't deactivate him. I destroyed him. Rather than shutting off their cores through a single deactivation, destroying the core caused a chain reaction to all who are connected. You can see the results here…"

As the lift carried them back out into the main chamber, Moby and Remy focused their headlights over the bodies below them. Chung stared in horror as each of the thousands of Nasod soldiers lay dead with their chest blown open. What once was a thriving hive of glinting steel was now a museum of macabre statues each frozen in its final state of agony. The lift continued to climb and each level they passed was the same: soldiers and workers alike, clutching at their chests, their innard burnt from the inside.

Eve remained straight-faced as they passed and Chung could feel the resentment he held for this girl grow exponentially.

"Why… did you do that?"

"It was necessary," Eve stated bluntly.

"No. No it wasn't. What you did was murder your entire race. All for what?"

"For him," Eve said, pointing at Raven. Her two assistant drones shined their light on him. With head resting on Rena's lap, Chung could barely make out the shallow ins and outs of his breath. "Had I not done what I did, we would still be in the chamber at this very moment negotiating with an entity who understands efficiency over anything else. I would have deactivated him eventually so I chose to save some time as well as one life."

"But… we could have convinced him…"

The black drone shoved him back and Eve approached the prince. She leaned forward so they were looking eye to eye. He felt a pressure on his chest as she pressed a finger on the chestplate of his armor. "The way I see it, I had three choices before me:

"One: I take control of a corrupted core network for myself and continue the king's work. Doing so would mean melding myself with his network, putting myself at risk of being corrupted. This and destruction of the core would mean the destruction of mine, as well. This would have taken hours since I needed to pass his firewalls. During this time you and your humans would be hiding in the chamber away from the Nasods waiting to kill you outside.

"Two: I deactivate the core, killing all my citizens and replace it with mine. I'd have to restart the El shard collection process and repurpose the entire facility to better suit my goals. Given that resources on this island is already limited this option can take another millenia. For me shoulder the processes necessary, I'd have to delete several aspects of my coding, including my emotional code which would drastically affect my ability to judge you  _intruders_  as friend or foe.

"Three: I destroy the core, leave the island, and collect the El shards myself. I can save your companion's life and restart the revival process from scratch.

"I could achieve any of these three choices by altering my own code once and  _only_  once. This is the path I've chosen. You can assume which of the three it was."

Aisha raised her hand, "Um… does that mean you're leaving the facility?"

Eve straightened herself, turning to the mage with a nod. Sunlight hit the platform as an exit hatch rumbled open. "Correct. The machines on this island are a grim reminder of what I wanted to avoid. This isn't the kind of nation I was hoping I'd wake up to. It was all wrong. I had to destroy it."

"Those were lives you destroyed," Chung stated, venom in his tongue.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "It was collateral. They served no purpose in my vision of the Nasod race."

"So where are you going next, then?" Elsword interjected, wanting to break up the tension between the two royals.

"Undetermined as of yet," Eve said, stepping out of the platform and onto barren dirt. "My primary goal is to collect El shards so locating a primary source is my priority."

"Okay, well, we're going to rush Raven to the Ponggo village. If you'd like, you can come with us and we can figure out where you can go from there," he then turned to Rena and helped her lift Raven up over his shoulder.

"S-Seris," Raven mumbled.

Rena and Elsword looked at each other in confusion before shrugging and hobbled as quickly as they could towards the Ponggo village.

Eve nodded. "I'd appreciate the assistance, then."

She tailed the elf and the human with Aisha following close behind and Chung taking the rear. The boy prince shouldered the cannon, shuffling his feet angrily as he was forced to be around the Nasod for a moment longer it would seem. She glanced back at him and for a long moment their eyes locked as both were trying to read the other.

This was going to be a long walk.

* * *

"And then what happened?" Pet asked, still holding her legs to her chest. She was turned to him now and she rocked back and forth in anticipation for the next part of his tale.

"Ah… well," Chung scratched his head, "Eve wanted to find El shards and our line of work often led us to sources of El shards so she… joined us."

"But I thought you hated her."

"I do! Er… did. Well… the situation's complicated really."

"What does 'complicated' mean?"

"Hard to explain," Chung replied. The amount of times he had to stop to define a word during his story was exhausting, to say the least.

"Hard to explain… so you don't hate her anymore?"

"It's complicated. She and I don't agree on much of anything."

"Like whether or not killing is wrong?"

"That's right. She doesn't care at all about anything else in the world other than herself."

"But you care about a lot of things."

"Yes, I do."

"Do you care about me?"

"Of course," Chung said with a smile, getting a shy giggle from the girl as she covered her face. "Aren't you getting sleepy, yet? The sun will be coming up in a few hours."

The mention of time caused the girl to yawn. "Yeah. A little. What about you?"

"I'll stay up a bit more. Mud's snoring isn't exactly the easiest to fall asleep to, you know?"

Pet laughed, "I know! I always give him a kick on the belly when he gets too loud. He doesn't mind I think."

"I'll be sure to do that then if he starts snoring really loud," Chung said. A lie of course. He couldn't do that to the poor guy. "So you go ahead and get some shut eye. I'll be up."

"Alright. Good night, Chung," Pet said with a yawn.

"Good night, Pet." Chung said as he turned his attention back to the dying fire. He threw in another log and watched as it slowly started to burn.

As he sat there watching the golden flames lick at the bark he let out a heavy sigh. All this talk about how he met his friends brought back that same feeling of guilt that he had been carrying with him since he started on his own. He remembered the way he treated Aisha and wanting to apologize to her as he was sneaking out. He remembered running into that damned machine. "I want you to consider the actions you take," she had said to him, "Maybe then you can understand 'my kind' as you so nicely phrased it."

Chung tossed a rock into the fire angrily and fell back onto his bedroll. He stared up at the sky and the Celestial string stared back. "Like hell I'd let a Nasod lecture me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Special thanks to Tiffany, my girlfriend, for taking the time and proofreading this story for me. Again, the story will loosely follow the plot laid out by the game but will still hit key plot scenes. The focus, after all, is on Chung and I will omit some things (on purpose or by accident) to further my version of Chung's story. Enjoy!


	5. Followed by a Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feita is had been an area of great strife. As the caravan passes the looming temple in the distance, discussion falls on Chung's personal experience within those cold stone walls. He indulges them in a tale of his discovery of an ancient stone far below the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.
> 
> A/N: Special thanks to Tiffany, my girlfriend, for taking the time and proofreading this story for me. Hello! Another chapter finished. This went on a lot longer than I originally planned but needed to be for me to really get the setting right. Before anyone asks, yes Roger, Mud, and Pet play a significant role in the story. No they're not canon to the original in any way but there's a reason why they're in it, several reasons actually (one of which is the fun I have in making dialogues with Mud). Some of which you may think doesn't matter but actually play a huge role in the story. They're there for a reason! I ain't gonna spoil it though.

"And what sound does this letter make?" Chung asked, pointing to a scrap of paper filled with the Elrian alphabet.

"Uh…" Pet scratched her head in frustration.

"That's right. It makes an 'uh' sound. You're getting the hang of this," Chung said with a smile.

"I am?" the girl blinked, "I am!" She kicked her legs excitedly as they hung over the back end of the wagon.

The prince laughed, kicking his legs along with her. He was proud of her progress. After having to drill all thirty Elrian letters for the fifth time today, he was feeling she might be mentally fatigued. With the remaining piece of charcoal he flipped the scrap over and spelled out a word.

"Okay. So putting what we learned together… what does this say?"

She squinted at the sloppily written word. She couldn't blame him though. It was tough to write with charcoal while the wagon bumped back and forth on the dirt road.

Pet pursed her lips together as she tried to sound the word out. "Mmm… Uh…" she struggled at the last letter, snapping her fingers as she tried to remember the sound it made.

"Duh." Chung assisted.

"Mmm… uh… duh… Muduh? Mud!"

The square man looked up upon hearing his name being called.

"It says Mud!"

"What does?" Mud asked as he slid his legs over the destroyer resting at the middle of the wagon.

The girl happily showed him what his name looked like on paper and he stared at it, clearly confused at what she was talking about.

"Roger, look! I read this!" Pet said as she held out the scrap at the tall soldier who had his legs up on the available space since Pet and Chung were hanging out at the far end of the vehicle.

The man had been picking his yellow teeth from the big lunch they had from the town of Feita about an hour ago. It was roast boar. Earl had decided to treat the whole caravan after having to nibble on dried newt and cactus fruit for the past week and a half.

"Yeah? Lemme see," Roger said, straining to sit up, "What nonsense have you been teaching this girl, kid?" He slid over to the end of the wagon and snatched the scrap from her hands.

"I should be asking you the same thing, Roger," Chung replied with a grin.

He snorted and looked at the paper, flipping it over to read the alphabet. "Chicken scratches is all I see."

Chung chuckled, not taking a word he said as an insult. "It was a bit hard to write with how rough the road is." Through the weeks he had spent with him, Chung had learned that Roger just spoke that way to everyone.

"Mhm. I bet." Roger handed the paper back to Pet and patted her on the head, "Good work, kiddo. Try spelling out my name. Bet you can't do it."

Pet took the paper and stared at the alphabet, clearly trying her best to sound out Roger's name in her head and looking up corresponding letters. After a while she gave up. "Why would I even want to spell out your stupid name?" Pet asked in a playful sneer, garnering a chuckle from the soldier.

"Smartass," he muttered.

"How are you feeling, Roger? Mud?" Chung asked as he noted the bandages on both of them needed to be changed.

"Good," Mud said waving his bandaged hands at Chung. They were filthy. As if Mud was rolling around in… well… mud. At least he hoped it was mud.

Roger grumbled, "Still feels like a phoru spent the good portion of last night gnawing at my right lung. But my fever's gone now, thanks to that remedy of yours."

Chung shrugged, "It's just one of the many recipes my friend taught me. I'll be sure to teach Pet how to make it in case you need it in the future."

"That reminds me," Roger laid back down on the free row of seats, "Velder's our final destination, too. What do you plan to do when you arrive? You sticking around long? Me and mud can show you around our old stomping ground, ain't that right you big idiot." He gave a kick to the other soldier sitting across from him. Mud didn't think much of the kick and nodded with a big grin.

"We can shows him our h-home. And the… the house with the purdy ladies…"

Roger kicked him again, "Shut up, you stupid oaf, not with the kid around."

"I… uh… might have to decline on that part of the tour, sorry," Chung said with a dismissive wave. In truth, he never even mentioned why he was going to Velder to anyone during the whole trip. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell them. "But after we arrive in Velder I'm going to look for a quick way to make some ED and hitch a ride on the earliest boat to Hamel." Despite riding with these people for a little more than two weeks, Chung only now realized he had no idea why these three were traveling as well.

"The hell did you just say?" Roger asked, looking up at Chung, "You're going to Hamel?"

"Look!" the young girl said, pointing out to the left of the wagon.

Far in the distance, from the port side of the caravan, stood the ruins of a massive black tower. This was the landmark that marked the center of the Feita crater. Its spire rose high enough to slice the clouds and its base was almost as wide as the walls that surrounded Elder's castle. At the foot of the tower the massive gates, tall enough to allow a ship to sail in it, stood shut. From the distance, Chung could make out the two pincer-like columns at the top of the tower marking the now-dormant Altar of Dedication.

"What is that?" Pet asked.

"That's Feita Temple," Chung replied, "One of the oldest relics on our continent. I think its existence predates the rise of the elves."

"Words," Pet said with a pout.

"That thing is older than elves," Chung said.

"Here he goes with another history lesson," Roger said with a roll of his eyes. "What? Did this Aisha girl tell you all about this one, too?"

Chung shook his head. "Actually, I figured that out when I visited the shrine."

Roger snorted, "How'd you manage that? That place's been crawling with evil spirits since before Earl was even born. On top of that, the temple's door's been closed since the demon invasion over a year ago."

"That's because I was among the few who closed it."

"Bullshit," Roger said.

"It's true," Chung replied flatly, "I even have a story for that if you want to listen."

"He's telling the truth!" Pet said to Roger, "Like the time he fought a fire breathing dragon!"

"Bone dragon," Chung corrected, "I still have the scars to prove that as well-"

"And the time he fought that plant monster in Altera."

"An Alterasian plant that hijacked the circuitry of dead Nasods… that was a nightmare."

The two went back and forth naming story after story that the prince had told her over the past two days.

"But," Chung interrupted, "None of that could compare to the demons that came out of Feita temple."

"So you gonna tell the girl or you just gonna keep firing off stories that may or may not have happened?" Roger asked, getting a bit impatient himself.

"Does that mean you want to listen, Roger?" Chung asked with a wry smile.

The soldier snorted and laid back on his good side, back turned away from the two. "Like hell I'd want to. Let the girl fantasize about Mr. Hero. I got some sleep to catch up on."

"Suit yourself," Chung replied, "Mud, wanna listen to my story?"

"Do I!" the other soldier scooted over to the edge of the wagon as well. The prince tapped his chin, trying to figure out the best place to start his story.

It was quiet. Uncomfortably so. The only sounds Chung could hear were muffled foot steps on the red carpeted stairs. Aisha was aware of this, too, and she clung tightly to Chung's arm as they both walked down the seemingly-endless stairway. Surrounded by darkness and enough dust to make every breath feel like sucking in a hand full of feathers, the two descended deeper and deeper towards the unknown with Eve leading the way. It was difficult to notice but the stairs traveled in a wide, counter-clockwise spiral and was encased in a flesh-colored stone that echoed every haggard breath Chung took.

Ancient marble statues stood on opposite ends of every fourth step; weeping angels, he believed they were called: a marble statue of angels of either gender, covering their faces as if in deep mourning. Each statue they passed faded in and out of the darkness such that they could only see one pair at a time, thanks to Aisha's illumination spell.

"Did you ever hear the story of the weeping angels?" Aisha said suddenly, breaking the silence and causing Chung to jump.

"Do I want to?" Chung replied with a nervous laugh.

Aisha laughed with him but her grip around his arm tightened. "No. It's just a kid's story though. You're just not supposed to take your eyes off them in case they move."

"I… see," Chung mumbled, his eyes locking on to another pair of weeping angels as they faded in and out of existence in Aisha's light. He suddenly had the strange sensation that someone, or something, was looming over his shoulder. He turned his head towards the mage in a feeble attempt to hide the fact he was checking over his shoulder and was caught by the girl as he was checking behind him.

"Don't worry. Big sis has got you," Aisha reassured him with a forced grin.

Chung felt his arm beginning to fall asleep from the mage's grip. "I know you do," he said, cyan orbs leveling with purple ones. It has been three years since they met and Chung was now the same height as the girl clinging to him. His armor, which had once been too big, was now in need of adjustment to accommodate his growth spurt.

A single Silver Shooter was holstered at his hip. The revolver was a weapon he had chosen to carry due to his inability to deal with flying threats. Though not as destructive as the cannon slung over his shoulder, the magical revolver had enough penetrating power to easily punch through the thickest man-made armor at extreme ranges. Because of this, the sidearm became indispensable with the encounter of their newest enemy: the Glitter Demons.

Despite their names, which Elsword laughed at on many occasions during their long trip to Feita, these new enemies proved far more organized than the bandits they've dealt with around Elder and far more ferocious than the lizardmen in the bone dragon's lair. They were wretched creatures with short legs and a large, powerful upper bodies. The shapes of their heads were similar to the lizardmen but hunched over, their shoulders and necks essentially one body part with thick muscles. They had yellow eyes and a maw lined with razor sharp teeth that could easily bite a full-grown man in half. Think an animal with the head of an alligator and the body of a giant gorilla.

They operated in squads of at least one necromancer, a handful of shield-bearing defenders, and at least two snipers. It was one thing pushing past a wall of shields and another avoiding the snipers who could thread a needle with their accuracy. This formation alone proved difficult to counter even with help from Velder troops. It took them weeks to secure the gateway into the temple and almost two months to push the demons out of the main corridor. Hundreds of lives were lost at the gates to sniper fire alone and Chung had lost count of the number of times an arrow narrowly missed his head or bounced off the shoulder plates of his Freitunier.

To make things worse, snipers were just the tip of the iceberg. The Glitter army also enlisted strong demon necromancers that did not hesitate to bring their dead comrades back to life just moments after they were cut down. He remembered placing a well aimed shot on a sniper's head only to have it return fire as a zombie right after recovering from the blow. A single necromancer, when not dealt with as Chung learned, can raise an entire platoon with the abundant dark energies that emanated through the temple. And to Chung, nothing was more frightening than staring into a maw of a beast who did not fear a second death.

Because of the demon's formation, Raven devised a tactical blitz strategy where the group had to push past the defending line and kill the necromancers quickly. If they didn't kill them quick enough, they would risk being surrounded by zombified demons. If the necromancers weren't dealt with after a set amount of time the group had to retreat, lest the snipers would pick them apart from afar. The Silver Shooter fixed all those problems. If a clear shot on the Necromancer wasn't available, a well-placed magical bullet could punch through a defender's shield and kill the defender and whoever was unlucky enough to stand behind them. If the snipers were too far to reach, Chung would pick them off. If the necromancer was undefended, the fight would be over before it even started. The Silver Shooter had proven itself to be a boon for those fighting alongside Elsword and the others.

"When do you think we'll get to the bottom?" Aisha whispered, her voice echoing along the stone walls.

"I'm not sure. But you and Eve said you could sense something below us, right?"

Aisha nodded. "I felt this magical energy even through all the dark powers swirling around above ground. Now that we're this deep underground, the sensation is so strong I can't tell if we're close or not."

"What about that woman we saw at the entrance?" Chung asked. "Do you think she's waiting for us at the bottom?"

"Why?" Aisha asked, tilting her head and smiling, "Don't tell me you like her. She looks a bit older than me but she's definitely attractive."

The prince sighed, shaking his head, "It's not like that. I'm more concerned about her motives than whether or not she has a thing for me."

Aisha nodded, "I'm just trying to lighten the mood, Chung. No need to be so uptight, you know, girls don't like it if you're always so paranoid... But, joking aside, I don't know. I don't see why she would want to hurt us if she went through the trouble of helping us all those other times. If she's trying to kill us she would have done so long ago," Aisha said.

The person Chung referred to was a mysterious stranger who not only possessed fighting skills that rivaled Raven but also had the ability to drain magical energies. Since Chung and the others had arrived in Feita, they had multiple run-ins with this mystery woman who had a habit of appearing seemingly out of nowhere when the party needed her most. She would pick off key enemy targets and would vanish into the ruins without a trace. Despite all the good she had done, however, her motive remained unclear. Raven, Rena, and Eve all expressed their distrust of the woman and have never exchanged dialogue with her in the months they have been here. Until now, that is.

Shortly after clearing out the demonic threat inhabiting the temple's main corridor, Aisha discovered a trail of bodies that led to a hidden passage. What set this apart from many of the secret corridors dotting the temple complex was that it was descending below the earth instead of ascending up towards the temple's peak. At the entrance of this stairway, amidst a pile of dead or dying Glitter demons, the mystery woman stood.

Dressed in nearly all-black attire: a jacket, skirt, and stockings, with long black hair tied into ponytail and accented by a strange white fox hairpin, Chung couldn't help but stare. It was a young woman; older than Aisha, definitely, but younger than Raven. She looked beautiful, innocent, even. Yet the bloody display of dead or dying demons at her feet betrayed any such notion of being anything but dangerous. In her Amber-colored eyes was a look of expectation when they arrived. She wanted them to find her. She wanted them there at this hidden entrance. For what reason, Chung couldn't determine but he was expecting the worst, as she still held her bloody spear at the ready.

She said a single word to the others: "follow". And without waiting, she slipped into the darkness of the corridor. It must have been half an hour since then; half an hour of traveling deeper and deeper into the earth. They haven't heard from the woman since and Chung was beginning to have second thoughts in going any further without Elsword, Rena, and Raven at least knowing where they are.

Eve paid no mind to the two who trailed behind and simply kept her eyes fixated on the red carpeted path illuminated by the headlights of her two drones. With no sense of fear, Eve pressed on at a much faster pace down the stairway.

Further and further the two fell behind until nothing but the silhouette of the Nasod's long black dress could be seen in the distance. It was something the Nasod had chosen to wear shortly after they left Altera. When the team asked her why she chose to wear such an elegant dress-into combat, even-she responded saying this was her way of mourning. Chung thought it odd for her. What kind of person would murder their own kin then turn around and mourn their deaths?

Even though it had been three years since King Nasod was killed, Chung never got along with the queen. To Chung, the queen only thought of herself, which conflicted with his attitude of always helping others when the need arises. This divide in ideals has lead to one or two occasions where they were up in arms against each other. He once even threatened to leave the group if they didn't ditch the robot. It was that same day that he learned just how angry Rena could get if there were any infighting.

"We're here," Aisha whispered, pointing her glowing staff towards the Nasod standing not too far ahead. The stairway expanded outward in what looked like a vestibule for a large marble building. Standing guard on either side of the large door that stood before them were yet another pair of weeping angels, both with their heads turned away from the entrance.

Eve stood there waiting for them, her drones shining their headlights up and down a massive stone door. Engraved on this door was a depiction of a stone shining above humanoid figures. There were letters of an ancient script that Chung had once seen in the Hamel libraries. It wasn't something he was fluent in but a few words stood out to him: the ancient name of El magic, a stone, and the moon.

"No sign of that woman," Chung mumbled while Aisha inspected the area before the large doorway. "Do you think she went inside?"

"Unlikely," Eve said as she put a hand on the door, "The structure appears unopened for some time. It is likely she eluded us while we were descending the stairs."

Chung felt a sudden chill upon remembering the sensation that someone had been looming over them. Maybe it was her. For his own sanity's sake he hoped it was her.

Eve cleared her throat, "My sensors indicate the power source originated in the area just beyond this door. I can't open it. You, human, push this door for me."

The young prince gritted his teeth and Aisha quietly nudged his side, a method she often used to remind him to keep his cool around the Eve.

Saying nothing, Chung made his way to the door and, after testing it with a few pushes, leaned in and gave it a strong shove. At first the door didn't budge. Chung thought it impossible to open with his strength alone. But after a few more good pushes, the door shuddered as it began to move.

Slowly, the heavy stone rumbled aside, heavy metal hinges groaning loudly as it gave way to the three new visitors.

To the three's surprise, light filtered out into the vestibule as they were greeted by the interior of what looked like a large underground chapel. The marble walls were a dull orange from the hundreds of lit candelabra lining the walls and walkways. Windows dotted the upper walls and a strange white light filtered in from all of them. Pews numbering in the hundreds lined in rows from the altar at the far end of the large chapel all the way to the entrance.

"What is this place?" Chung asked, scanning the area for any signs of life. It was odd that every single candle was lit before they even entered, stranger so that the door seemed like it hadn't been opened for thousands of years. He hadn't noticed it at first glance due to the lighting but upon further inspection, noticed that the old pews were occupied by numerous skeletal remains. Each one, he noticed, were in a sitting position, facing the altar and dressed in either purple or white garb.

"This place gives me the creeps," Chung commented.

"Tell me about it," Aisha said, "I thought Pilgrim's Pass was creepy. You don't think these skeletons will…?"

"The source of power is there," Eve said, ignoring the two's conversation and pointing a finger to the altar at the far end of the underground chapel. Chung squinted but couldn't quite see from the distance but something was definitely sitting on the altar.

Suddenly a blue projection winked into existence in front of him, causing him to jump back in surprise as the projection window zoomed in on the altar. Remy, the white drone, floated in front of him, creating the window for him to see and Moby appeared to be functioning as the camera feed.

"Could you warn me next time you do that?" Chung said to Eve.

The Nasod stood at the other side of the projection and pointed at a large stone-like object sitting atop the altar. From the looks of it, the stone was quite large; big enough to have to be carried with two hands. It was mounted on a golden frame and emitted a pale white light that was both beautiful and eerie at the same time-a pearl at bottom of the ocean.

"This is the source of power that I've been sensing," Eve explained, "It's not like any of the El stones we've encountered before."

Aisha leaned in closer to the projection to inspect it. "It's definitely a lot smaller than an El stone, that's for sure… And I don't think I've felt this kind of El energy before, either. It's a lot more… raw. Do you think- Hey!"

The projection was cut off and the Nasod descended a small set of stairs to the main aisle that led to the stone.

The two humans looked at each other before quickly making their way after her.

"Eve! You can't just waltz up to the stone and take it," Chung said as he caught up with her.

"Why not? I've followed you humans on this journey for the sole purpose of gathering El shards. With a stone of that size available, I don't see any reason not to take it." Aisha and Chung were in a light jog trying to keep up with Eve. As they chased her, the prince grew faintly aware of the sheer number of bones that filled the pews. There must have been thousands of people who died sitting in this chapel. How they died and for what reason was a question that quickly pushed itself to the front of his mind.

"It's the same as the El stone of nature, Eve, taking it might throw the magic in the area into disarray," Aisha argued, "That's why you couldn't just take the one at the Elven kingdom."

"I understand the need for elemental balance, human," Eve said to Aisha, "However, unlike the El stone of nature, this one is several times smaller and emits power exponentially stronger than the stone in the Elven Kingdom. Given the lack of elemental affinity this stone possesses, I can't ignore its potential in greatly progressing my work."

"I don't know, Eve… what if it's guarded?" Chung said, glancing back at the skeletal audience.

"I sense no signs of life around the stone," Eve remarked as they stood at the foot of the stairs up to the altar. - -

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered, watching Eve ascend the steps with little regard to his comment.

She stood before the stone and stared, noticing the glow had intensified as ripples of magical energy began to swirl around it. Like a rapidly growing torrential storm, the magic flew about the closer she moved, to the point her hair whipped back at the gust of energy when she came into contact with it.

Eve lifted the stone off the centerpiece and the magical winds-as suddenly as it came-died out with a blast that blew out all the lights in the large chapel.

The only thing Chung could see was the pale glow of the stone and the strange light filtering through all of the chapel windows. Eve was still standing at the altar as indicated at the way the white pearl floated about in the darkness.

Everyone was quiet, waiting for something to happen. For a long moment, nothing stirred. Even Chung and Aisha held their breath to listen. Shuffling could be heard. At least Chung thought he heard shuffling. Even in the darkness, the prince could have sworn he saw something move in the shadows. For every moment they stood in the darkness, Chung could feel whatever was moving had already surrounded them, just waiting to strike. Chains. The sound of chains dangling in non-existent wind echoed softly somewhere in the large chapel. They weren't alone.

The prince drew in a slow, quiet breath as he tugged his arm trying to get Aisha's attention. No response. She was there, though, and seemed adamant about hiding her face behind him.

"Aisha," Chung pulled on his arm as the girl gripped him like a vice. "Aisha, your light!"

"Huh…? Oh!" The girl shuffled about and after whispering a spell, her staff began to glow. She puffed at the magical kindling and the circle of light expanded outward, illuminating the immediate area around them.

If the shadows were playing tricks on him before, Chung's eyes definitely caught movement, now. Was it the mystery lady? Was she waiting for them to open this door? Was she here for the stone? A thousand questions raced through his mind as he tried to trace the shadow that danced just beyond the bubble of magical light. Chains, again.

"If it's the stone you're looking for," Chung said as he spun around, following the shadow, "Maybe we can work together." Whatever was beyond the sphere of light made no response and only continued to circle them silently. Not even the sound of footsteps could be heard as it moved-just the sound of chains.

"We don't want to fight you," he continued, "In fact we're here to fight the demons, like you. We've seen you fight and we're all wondering why you've been helping us. You're not here to hurt us, right? We won't hurt you either, so…"

Purple cloth danced at the edge of light and darkness before them. Had the woman worn anything purple? As the light grew and grew, both Eve and Chung stared up and up at a towering entity adorned in purple and white cloth. No limbs were visible as the being floated over them, the sound of chains clinking in non-existent wind filled the chapel, now. A purple mask hung where its head should be and from the way the mask tilted, the two could tell it was looking right at them.

A magical white flame burned underneath the purple cloth and it let out a low haggard sigh, the sound of someone breathing their last breath.

"Aisha…" Chung mumbled, nudging the girl who was still fumbling with the staff light. "Aisha."

She looked up, stopping mid-puff. "Oh, gods," she squeaked. "Eve! Look out-"

One of Eve's drones flashed bright red, alerting them of danger. The glint of steel was all Chung saw as he quickly pushed Aisha down, ducking as the curved blade of a scythe grazed the hairs on his neck. The staff was dropped and once again, they were plunged into a sea of blackness with the pearl the only thing Chung could see. The sound of chains being lifted off the ground was all the assurance Chung needed to know that they shouldn't stay any longer.

Moby and Remy flicked on their headlights, the brightness was blinding as they whipped about in search of the purple-robed entity.

Another flash in the darkness and the white drone quickly moved to intercept. Ancient steel clashed with Nasod alloy, protecting Eve who still clung to the stone and was already making her way down the steps back towards the far end of the chapel. Moby lead the way, lighting the path for his mistress as she swiftly dashed through the rows of pews.

So much for waiting for us, the prince thought. It would've surprised him more if the Nasod actually waited. Chung pulled out his revolver, blue energy flowed from his body into the chamber and he fired into the darkness. The brief flash of light was all he needed to get a brief glimpse purple cloth floating over them as it pursued the Nasod. He traced the figure with every shot, the flash of light a displaying a freeze frame of the being raising its menacing scythe and bringing it down on Eve. There was another flash of red from the black drone leading the way, illuminating the scene just enough for the prince to draw a bead. Unfortunately, the magical bullets dotted holes on the purple garb but did little else to faze whatever the thing was.

"Eve! Wait for us!" Chung yelled, getting up off the ground and tugging on Aisha's hand. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here!" Aisha was nearly pulled off the ground with how quickly and forcefully the boy helped her up and nearly fell over again when she was reached the altar stairs.

Remy, who was left behind with the other two, began the chase, keeping its headlights trained on the being. Unable to keep with its swift flight, the headlights only caught the entity moments before it dove into the pews to the left of Eve, sending a shockwave of dust and energy through the rows of seats.

Chung and Aisha hurried along the aisle, faintly aware of the eerie glow that filled the skulls of each skeletal corpses lining the pews. Like a chorus of heavy raindrops hitting a metal roof the room was drowned out by the sound of bones creaking and tapping against wood and stone. The corpses were moving. Each empty skull lit with haunting incandescence lurched forward and slowly rose to their feet before stumbling onto the main aisle. In the pitch blackness of the room, all Chung could see were the empty sockets as each corpse hobbled out of their seats. Their clear passage grew smaller and smaller as they ran until Chung could feel the scratches of boney fingers reaching for an arm, a leg, a lock of hair, anything to slow them down.

Aisha screamed as Chung felt her hand nearly slip out of his grasp. Taking her by the forearm as more and more boney arms clutched at him in the darkness, he pulled her closer, her body pressing against his, before he slid the cannon off his shoulder. Clutching the mage in one arm and rearing up for a swing with the other, he threw all of his might into one powerful circular motion. He couldn't see, but the sound of shattering bones and loosening grips on his arms and legs was enough of a tell that he had at least given them some breathing room.

"A meteor shower would be nice right about now," Chung said to Aisha as he pushed her forward, away from the skeletal hands that grabbed at his legs. The prince gritted his teeth as he put all his strength into another powerful swing of his cannon, tearing limbs from bodies and sending a few flying. Even though the bodies were separated from their limbs, the boney hands that clutched at his arms and legs held tight, some crawling to his exposed neck. Fingers dug into his throat and he could feel it choking the life out of him. "N-now?" he coughed as he ripped bone piece after bone piece away from him.

"I can't indoors! Hold on…" She held her staff close to her, as the flame at the tip was reignited. A spell was whispered and the conjured flame multiplied around her. "Chain fireball!" The flames flew out in a cone, clearing a path between them and the chapel exit. "Clear, Chung let's go!"

Chung spun around, breaking into a full sprint after Aisha as a clear lit path lay before them thanks to her fire spell. His steps faltered, though as he looked ahead to see Eve leaning against the entrance with the large chapel door sealed tight.

"Thanks for helping us, by the way," Chung said sarcastically to the Nasod who was catching her breath. Eve threw him an angry glare but didn't answer, keeping her back on the door but hunching forward as she hugged the orb as if her life depended on it.

"Chung… they're getting back up," Aisha gasped. Chung turned to see skeletons in the distance that he had recently shattered pile together and reanimate once more. The ones covered in burning garb stood again, slowly making their way up the stairs towards the three.

"At least you waited for us, Eve how nice of you!" Chung said as he took a siege stance and began firing his cannon into the mob of undead. Each shot cut through the ranks, shattering dozens as it impacted the ground. Despite the destruction, however, he could see the broken bones only pull themselves together again only to advance once more. An unending flow of bones crept closer and closer until his cannon clicked empty and he was forced to reload. He swung the cannon at the closest mob, clutching the reload lever with each blow before swinging again in a wide arc. Six times he swung, six times he pulled the lever and his cannon was fully loaded once more.

He pulled the trigger but had to bat away a skeleton who was already within melee distance. He was losing ground, and fast.

"A little help here?" Chung called out behind him as he fired another three shots before swinging his cannon again.

"I… It's Eve," Aisha said.

"Yeah, I know! This would be a lot easier if she was actually helping us-"

"No, Chung!" Aisha yelled over the loud blasts of the cannon, "Eve's hurt. Really bad!"

Chung swung again, reloading another round and took a quick glance behind him. Eve wasn't standing anymore as Aisha cradled the Nasod in her arms. He hadn't noticed due to the lighting but as he focused his gaze, he could see a wound on the Nasods back. It was a large gash that cut from her left shoulder, traveled across her back, and down the back of her right arm, stopping at her elbow.

"Her leg, too… she's bleeding everywhere." Aisha said, holding on to Eve who at this point was too weak to hold on to the orb any longer. It rolled out of her arms, its pearly glow shining on the blood-soaked carpet.

Chung never knew Nasods could bleed-or if they did, they'd bleed black oil or some kind of sick mechanical fluid. Ever since they've met he had seen her not as a living being but as a machine that would expressed nothing but displeasure towards the "inferiority" of the human race. Everything she had done up to this point was for her own self gain and he blamed her fully for the situation they were in now. Her complete disregard for he and Aisha's safety had led to this moment. He hated her. So much so that if the door had been open and she were in this situation, dare he say he would have left her.

But in that moment, the look he saw on her face was far from the look of discontent she often held. As she lay there in Aisha's arms, golden orbs locked onto purple's as Aisha cried for her to hold on, an emotion Chung had never seen before could be seen in the slight pout and the upward turn of her eyes. It was fear. Wordless fear and desperation. A machine fearing for its own life? He would have never thought he'd live to see the day and yet here he was feeling sorry for the girl.

Girl? He thought, but shook his head. No, she was a machine. But he couldn't help but pity her.

Chung clenched the grips to his cannon and fired the last remaining shells before moving back to the two girls.

"Dammit… Ok swap! We're not getting out of where if I'm not working on the door. Just hold them back!"

He took Eve from Aisha and carefully, gently let her down on the ground. She was looking at him, breaths shallow and pained.

"H… hang on, okay? I'll get us out of here," he said to her. Eve said nothing, her head rolling to the side as she eyed the orb a few inches away. As he laid her there and stood over her, he saw that his gauntleted hands were already soaked in blood. With how long they'd have to run up the stairway would she even make it?

He stared up at the large stone door before him. Would he have to pull it open? Judging by the large handles it looked like he would have to. He had to do it soon. Aisha only had so much El energy on her reserves.

"Chain lightning!" he heard the mage cry. The area behind him flashed wildly followed by the wave of heat from another flame spell.

Chung clutched the large metal handle and tugged. It didn't budge. He positioned himself in a way that would give himself the most leverage and pulled as hard as he could. All the while spell after spell was cast behind them as Aisha held the waves of undead back.

Again and again he tried with each attempt a failure. The door didn't move and his boots were beginning to slip on the blood soaked floor. He tried every way, placing a foot on one door and pulling open the other, even pushing in case it swung the other way but to no avail. A magical force was holding the thing shut.

He looked back at Eve, here eyes were placid now as they stared at the stone. If it weren't for the subtle ins and outs of her breath, he would have thought she had gone unconscious or worse. Moby and Remy were at her side. The silent drones circled over her, a dimensional portal hanging above her as data flowed from it onto the Nasod. He'd seen this before. They were fixing her. Staunching the bleeding, most likely. Although this process was faster than a human's regenerative ability, it would still take all day before the wounds were fully healed.

"Chain… lightning…" Aisha mustered the last of her mana as she drew a white ring around her. "Bind...ing… circle…"

The white ring expanded outward, freezing the skeletons in place as the spell bound each one in magical shackles at their limbs. The girl collapsed as she tried to catch her breath. Digging through a pouch she had strapped at her side she fished out a small blue flask. Popping the cork, she downed its contents in one swig but immediately looked as if she were doing her best not to let it back up. She steadied her breathing as she hobbled back to her feet just as the magical shackles were beginning to fade.

With renewed vigor, Aisha clasped the staff in both hands and waved it high above her. Winds were kicked to life around her as she charged the El energies within her. She whispered one spell after another, represented by glowing orbs that whipped about wildly over her head. With three orbs hanging over her Aisha spun about gracefully, swinging the staff like a racket as one of the orbs was tossed into the middle of the frozen mob. A pillar of fire plumed out of the orb in a wild explosion as a second orb joined it, creating a fiery tornado that sucked in nearby skeletons and setting them ablaze.

"Is it open, yet?" Aisha yelled, looking over her shoulder as her spell kept the front line busy.

"I can't open it," Chung said walking up to Aisha as she waved her staff about to keep the spell rolling, "I tried everything."

Hearing this Aisha fell to her knees, the spell dissipating and sending the bones about in a flurry. As expected, it took only moments before the rattle of assembling bones filled the chapel once more. Chung saw this and knelt down to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"This… can't be the end…" Aisha said through heavy gasps. Still holding on to one orb, she tossed it haphazardly away and another binding circle spell held the already advancing skeletons in place.

"What do we do?" Chung asked in a whisper as they stared at the shackled skeletons at the foot of the stairs. They stared back, merely waiting for the binding spell to wear off; thousands of glowing heads just waiting to kill them.

Aisha dug through her pouch again, drawing another blue flask out of it and shakily pulling off the cork. She held it up to him as if holding a toast and downed it.

"That's not good for your health, you know," Chung said with a forced laugh.

"I know," the mage said after nearly vomiting back the contents. She stood. "That was my last one, anyways. And in this sense, it's prolonging our lives. Right?"

"For a few minutes, yeah," Chung said, looking up at her as she began charging another spell.

"Any last words, then?" Aisha said, looking down at him as another orb appeared.

"I've always loved you," Chung said with a smile.

"You're full of it," Aisha replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Your turn," Chung continued with a dismissive wave.

The girl hesitated as a second orb appeared over her staff. If Chung would guess it was because she was focusing on gathering energy for the spell.

"I've always loved Elsword," she muttered, face glowing visibly red not from the fire spell.

"Yeah, you told me that like a million times," Chung said. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Well you're not being sincere about this whole 'final words' thing. I can't even take you seriously right now."

"That's because I don't intend on dying here. And neither do you," Chung stood, loading another round into his cannon, "We've always found a way out of situations like this. Any minute now, Elsword, Raven, and Rena are going to bust through those doors behind us and we're going to kick this ghost-spirit-thing's butt. We just have to hold on until they do. Now are you with me?"

A third orb appeared over her staff and the winds of magic ceased around her. She sighed, smiling at Chung, "You're starting to sound like that idiot, you know?"

"I've been around him a lot."

"I can tell. I'm not sure if that's a good thing for you, growing up," Aisha said, faintly aware of the fading shackles.

"If I wasn't then how would I be able to tell you about all the 'cute' things he does so you can write about it on your diary?" he loaded another round and took a siege stance.

"Adventure log, Chung. It's not a diary."

"Sure. That's why it says 'Dear diary' at every entry."

"You read it?!"

"I got curious…"

"Chung!"

Suddenly a figure appeared from the ceiling, landing at the foot of the stairs in front of the two. In the darkness the figure could easily be mistaken as a skeleton but the glint of a spear-like weapon was all that Chung needed to see. It was her.

The fox pin she wore on her hair began to glow as shadows danced around the stranger, ending at the tip. Without a word the stranger threw the shadow-charged spear at the skeletons before her. It spun wildly and, as if possessed by some void like powers, drew the surrounding undead in like a vacuum. She raised her arm as dozens of black magical spears rained from above, encircling and trapping the undead unfortunate enough to be caught in the vacuum. Her original spear returned to her and she caught it, spinning to slow its momentum before extending her arm towards the skeletons locked in the mystical cage.

She spoke. It wasn't in a language that Chung recognized but she uttered a spell that violently ripped the energies inhabiting the skeletons, drawing it to the palm of her hand. The skeletons dispersed, no, they burst into pieces as the energy left them. The magical spears that caged the undead vanished and, to Chung and Aisha's surprise, the skeletons did not reanimate.

"How did you-" Chung began but was interrupted when the woman took off into the shadows further into the chapel. The sound of combat could be heard as metal struck bone. Waves of energy ebbed and flowed as the dying flames from Aisha's spells flickered from the sheer force of each blow.

The prince couldn't see much but he could see the moments when she drained the souls from the undead. The wails of the spirits could be heard as the faint glow of energy were pulled to a distinct point in the darkness.

It wasn't long before the last of the skeletons fell and the entity from earlier arose from the center aisle before them. Rising from the ground, the purple-garbed spirit gave a low sigh as it appeared. Again, the sound of a dying breath before its mask turned its attention to the glowing orb sitting amidst a pool of blood.

Chung and Aisha stood at the ready but before it could raise its scythe to strike a vacuum-like force pulled it off balance. The light from its core was being drawn by the mystery woman standing behind him. In a low moan that sounded like the agonized cries of a thousand souls, it turned to her, slashing at the woman with its large blade.

The woman moved forward, bringing her spear to her side. The point of the blade missed her, carving a path behind her as the rest of the blade slid past her. Using her spear to block the snath, she used the shaft of her spear to guide the scythe up and over her head as she ducked under it. All the while she kept the draining spell active as more and more of the spirits energy was drawn from it.

It swung again, and again the strike was deflected as effortlessly as the last. She was upon the spirit, now. The scythe no longer useful at such close range, it lunged at her. Only then did the woman stop channeling. With elegant execution, the woman spun about with spear in hand, using the momentum for a powerful downward slash that cleaved one hand into two. She swept low, ducking under the second and thrust her spear upward at the spirits neck before placing the palm of her hand on the thin cloth that shielded the fading light.

She uttered the words of her language again and the spirit tried to pull itself away. More and more of it was sucked into the palm of her hand as swirls of excess energy dispersed around her. It clawed, it shrieked, it tried to get away but it did so with decreasing strength until nothing was left but the cloth and mask on the burned chapel floor.

With the light of the spirit completely gone, Chung could only see a glowing set of amber eyes and faint white energy where the woman's palm had been. The energy moved towards the woman's eyes and from the sound of it, she was breathing it in.

The faint white light faded out of existence leaving only the amber pair as it approached Chung and Aisha in the dark.

It stood before them. In the dark, Chung had to guess she was about four steps away. Just standing there, waiting.

"L… light?" she asked. Even from the single uttered word, Chung picked up a heavy accent.

The two blinked in confusion.

"L… light?" she said again. From the way her eyes were moving he could tell she was expressing something with her hands. "Is… right?"

"I think she wants your light, Aisha," Chung whispered.

"Huh… Oh!" Aisha perked up as she canceled the swirling orbs over her staff and whispered her illumination spell.

The amber glow faded in the incandescence and Aisha and Chung stared face to face with the stranger that had saved them countless times.

"H… hello?" Chung mumbled, finally having a chance to speak with this woman. "I don't… uh… thank you for helping us. You really saved our skin."

Chung nudged Aisha who straightened up. "Yeah! You have Chung and I's thanks. Eve, too... Oh gods, Eve!"

Immediately remembering the third, Aisha scanned the floor for the Nasod who was still laying on the ground. Her eyes were shut and Aisha immediately moved to check for signs of life. The mage leaned forward, dress soaking on the blood that pooled there. "I think I can hear breathing. She's… alive. She's alive, right?" she turned to Moby and Remy who looked at each other. They both whirred their gyroscopic motors and gave a series of clicks that Aisha very clearly couldn't understand.

"She'll be fine," Chung said to the woman with a nervous smile. "Uh… so, thanks and all. I know we don't usually talk but I don't suppose you have a… name?"

The woman tilted her head at him, an innocent smile across her face.

"Uh… name…? Name? You know? Name?"

The girl nodded and pointed at the stone.

"Oh. This?" Chung pointed at the orb too which the girl nodded excitedly.

"This then? Your name is this?" Chung picked up the stone and held it in front of her. Despite its size, which was bigger than the biggest watermelon he had ever eaten, it was as light as a feather. Though he still didn't quite understand what she meant by nodding and pointing at it.

"This… is your name?"

The girl nodded, taking it off his hands and then pointing at Eve.

"N...name."

"Hers is Eve," Chung said.

The woman blinked. Tilting her head. "Eve?"

"Yes, her name is Eve."

The woman shook her head violently and pointed at Eve, the stone, and the door.

"I… huh?"

"I think there's some miscommunication going on," Aisha said, standing up and trying but failing to brush the blood off her skirt. "I think she wants us to get out of here."

"Well… that definitely would be a good idea but how?" Chung asked "I can't get the door open." He handed the stone to the woman.

Chung walked over to the door and gave it a pull. Surprisingly, the door gave way, shuddering ever so slightly but enough for the boy to give it another good tug. It groaned open. The haunting sound of creaking hinges never sounded so beautiful before to Chung. He turned to Eve once the door had been opened. The machine was still unconscious-or whatever the mechanical equivalent was for not being awake. Chung slung the cannon over his shoulder and knelt down to pick her up. Still a bloody mess but no longer bleeding, the young prince carried the queen as gently as he would a child. She was light. Of course her small frame was a factor but her being a machine, he expected her to be heavier with all the gears he assumed she was made out of.

"Let's get out of here," Chung said to the rest as he started the long ascent back up to the surface.

"And then what happened?" Roger asked. The soldier was sitting up at the far end of the wagon peeling an orange.

"We got out. The woman's name was Ara, by the way. It took a while to get that info from her since she didn't speak our language but we learned she hailed from the north."

"What, like Elder or something?" Roger asked, shoving half the orange in his mouth.

Chung shook his head, "Further than that. She's from the Xin Empire."

"What's the Xin Empire?" Pet asked.

"It's a land far to the north of Elder. Past the Great forest of the Elven Kingdom just south of a vast desert called Floune."

"I don't know which way is north or south," Pet said.

Chung smiled. "Okay, when it gets dark I can show you a neat trick to figure that out."

"Ugh… does it involve reading the alphabet, again?" Pet groaned, falling back and hitting her head on the cannon. She sat up quickly, clutching at her head. Chung reached out and gently rubbed the sore spot, garnering a shy giggle from the girl.

"No, no. It involves the stars," he said, pointing up at the now-orange sky.

"Really?" she asked, immediately forgetting the pain in her head. The young girl leaned forward, around the wagon cover to stare up at the brightest stars that glinted in the twilight.

"So this Ara woman," Roger piped up, tossing the orange peelings out of the wagon. "Does she, you know, have someone?"

"What do you mean?" Chung asked.

"You know what I mean. Is she single? Is that Elsword guy or Raven dating her."

Chung shook his head. "No she's not dating anyone."

"You said she was beautiful," Pet said, grabbing onto his forearm, "Does that mean you… have a crush on her?"

"Well… I mean, she is beautiful. But I could say the same for Aisha, too."

"You also said you loved Aisha. Is that true?" Pet asked, the grip on his forearm tightening.

"Looks like someone's a tad jealous," Roger chuckled, "Don't worry, Pet. The way I see it, he's gonna be single for a good while… considering where he's going."

"What do you mean by that," Chung turned to the soldier, voice serious now.

Roger shrugged. "Who knows? You know what? Why don't we have this conversation at a later date… Not with the, erm, people around."

"We can have this talk now. We still have two days until we reach Velder. Might as well say it."

Roger coughed, clearing his throat as he looked at Pet. "I'd rather not. Not in the mood."

They were both locked in each others gazes now. Chung eyed him cautiously but Roger maintained that smug grin of his, making him difficult to read.

Pet tugged on his arm. "What about Eve? Did she die?"

Not able to hold Rogers gaze any longer he relented and turned to Pet. He shook his head, garnering an "aww" from her.

"She survived. And we used the stone to enhance our powers."

"What's enhance?"

"Make us stronger. It turns out the stone was a powerful source of El not from this earth, but from the moon."

"A moonstone?"

"No… er… actually, yes. You're right on that. It was a moonstone. With it I was able to grow strong enough to use two Silver Shooters instead of one."

Chung went on to detail about how the stone was used to enhance their powers. After learning of the group's goal in eradicating the demon threat, Ara explained to the group that the moon stone could be used to fight against the demons pouring out of the portal at the top of the temple. In exchange for this info she would be allowed to join them in their fight. Despite the other's distrust of her, no one could deny the strength the moonstone had given them and they ultimately agreed.

"I want to join you, too," Pet said after the long winded story.

"What?" Chung blinked at her, confused at the sudden outburst.

"I want to join you and your group. I want to fight."

"Pet… you can't. It's too dangerous."

"But if you're there you'll protect me, right?"

"Well… of course I would if you happened to be at the place where I'm fighting but you're not ready to fight yet," Chung said.

"When will I be ready?"

"When you get older."

"You were fighting when you were my age. Roger said he was fighting at my age, too."

"True story," Roger replied, "Listen, Pet, you got spunk. But he means you ain't got what it takes to fight, yet."

Pet pouted at Chung, "Teach me how to fight."

"Ah… well… I can't really teach you how to use a blade and you can't lift a cannon…"

"Teach me to shoot guns."

"You mean my Silver Shooter? Pet, that's dangerous."

"Teach me!"

"Oh, let the kid do it otherwise she won't shut up about it," Roger said with an annoyed grunt, "Besides, there ain't a soul out here for miles. No harm in firing a few shots out the back of the wagon, right?"

Chung scratched his head. It was more than just having her point the gun and shoot. The thing kicked like a donkey on steroids. She would surely hurt herself if that happened. And there's the whole thing about it being powered by El. A child like her wouldn't be able to harness the magical energies if she had never tried before.

"I… could hold the gun and she could pull the trigger I guess," Chung said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tomorrow, Pet. When there's better light so we can see what we're shooting at, okay?"

"Yes!" Pet exclaimed, hugging the prince tightly around the neck. "Chung, you're the best! I can't wait for tomorrow."

"But we got some astrology lessons tonight so if you're good I'll let you use the guns as long as you want, got it?"

"Got it!"


	6. Humble Hospitality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chung has arrived in Velder at last. Only the ocean stands between our hero and his home. But he won't be alone in this journey...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

"Now release the hammer lock," Chung instructed Pet.

The girl strained to reach for the hammer with her small thumb. As she did so, the El-filled chamber rotated as another magical bullet was readied to fire. She felt the young man shift to a bracing position with one gauntleted hand cupping the bottom of the Silver Shooter's grip and the other hand resting above the chamber with the thumb wrapping under the hammer and around the top part of the grip.

"Okay, now pick your target," he said. His breath was on her ear, sending a shiver down Pet's back that even he could feel. He knew the way he positioned himself was awkward-sitting next to her with arms wrapped around her and chin on her shoulder-but it was the only way he could correct her aim and keep the gun from smacking her in the face when she fired.

"The cloud that looks like a snail," she said.

The prince adjusted her aim for her, searching the many clouds for one that resembled a snail. Either he was going blind or the girl had no idea what a snail looked like. She pulled the gun about for him, pointing at one that looked more like a cow than a snail.

"Alright, now squeeze."

She pulled the trigger. A bullet exited the barrel in a bright blue flash. So powerful was the recoil that even with Chung holding the gun steady, he could see the violent tremor that transferred to Pet's arms.

"Whoa!" she shouted, pulling the trigger three more times. Each shot was accompanied by another exclamation from Pet. The bullets cut through the sky, boring barely visible holes into the cow-snail a fraction of a second later.

"Okay! Alright, stop!" Chung said as she ceased fire. Chung released the gun, shaking the heat from his gauntlet. He blew at his hand to cool it off. "There really has to be a better way of doing this."

"But we're almost at Velder, Chung," Pet said with a frown, "You said I won't be able to do this once we reach the kingdom's walls."

"I know, I know. At least just let my hand cool down first."

It had been two days since they passed the temple and the scenery had shifted from a desolate earth to expansive green meadows. Small villages could be seen every so often and they even passed several other caravans along the way. His tutoring of the young girl was coming along well. With nothing else to do but stare at everything they passed, it was easy to keep Pet's attention when he taught her something new.

She could read to some degree as well as distinguish the direction they were heading without the need of a compass now with astral navigation. In exchange for retaining what she was taught, he'd let her use one of his revolvers which she quickly fell in love with. He had shown her the firing mechanism during one of their rest stops and even let her take the gun apart and put it back together-with close supervision of course.

Letting her fire out the back of the wagon was an issue, though. Although he promised that he would let her use the revolvers as much as she wanted, they often had to take breaks to keep his hands from melting off due to the heat generated from each shot. He never realized how hot the barrel could get after just one or two shots, he swore he could cook bacon on it if he wrapped it around the tip.

The increase of traffic around them, as well, made finding a safe time to shoot more difficult. It hadn't occurred to him just how far his bullet could travel until Pet started shooting at clouds. They were able to pierce low flying nimbus clouds before losing their energy and dispersing; a feat not even Rena's magical arrows could match.

"Ready for another round?" Chung asked, pulling on the gauntlet again and handing the revolver over to Pet.

"Are your hands okay?"

Pet said, noticing how red his palm looked.

"Yeah. They're just hot. I should be asking you that question, though."

Pet flailed her arms in front of her, "They're all tingly from the recoil."

Chung laughed, "Almost can't feel them, huh?"

She nodded.

"Now you know how I feel when I have to use two of them. We should be able to do one more. We're getting close now so I don't want to alarm the guards with gunfire."

"Make it quick, kid," Roger said, looking past Vinny and the wagons ahead of them. "I can see the wall from here. It's about damn time, too. Another day cooped up in here and I swear I'm going to go insane."

"I'm surprised you haven't, considering we've been riding for close to three weeks, already," Chung replied as Pet fired another shot.

"Mud is bored," the square soldier said. The bandages he had on him a week ago were gone now. In his palms were thick scars from stopping a blade that nearly killed him.

"Hang in there, big guy, we can show Chung around once we get there." Roger laid back on the free seats. "I wonder if the old pad is still around. Haven't been there since the invasion..."

"It should be. The residential district was fairly unscathed compared to the other parts of the city," Chung responded, not taking his eyes off of Pet's intended target. The girl fired another two shots.

"Didn't live in the residential district. Couldn't afford an official place to stay so we squatted at some abandoned store houses in commercial district 1."

"Oh… well that was on fire when we got there."

"Shit," Roger softly pounded the backrest of the seat. "Wait a minute... what do you mean it was on fire when you got there. Don't tell me…"

"Yep," Chung stopped Pet after the fifth shot and shook his hand from the heat, "Was there for that, too."

"And lemme guess: you got a story for that, as well?"

"If you wanna hear it," Chung said as he turned his head to him with a smile, "It's your home, too, so surely you have a story to tell as well, don't you?"

For a long while Roger didn't say anything and looked as if he were choosing his words carefully. "We'll exchange stories over a few drinks. I owe you anyways for saving my ass earlier. Don't got time now since we're almost there."

"I don't drink."

Roger lifted his head at him, throwing the prince a look of disbelief. "The hell is wrong with you, kid?"

"Aisha said-"

"Aisha ain't here to be your nanny no more, kid. You're drinking with Mud and I and that's that."

Chung didn't argue back, feeling it was better not to piss Roger off when he was in such a good mood, today. He decided it'll just be better to decline the offer after they arrived.

With the Velder wall visible in the horizon, it didn't take much longer until they finally disembarked inside the city walls. Unlike Elder and Bethma, Velder was a bustling coastal city whose commercial empire spread throughout all of Elrios. Just getting into the gate alone was a traffic jam of carts, wagons, and other vehicles. It was almost overwhelming to Chung seeing so many people packed so close together, trying to push their way into the city. His last visit was during the demon invasion, however, so despite the crowd, it was nice to see the people had recovered only a year after the attack.

Velder soldiers flanked either side of the gate but because of the large volume of people, they appeared to have given up on checking incoming visitors. Getting through the gate almost took a full hour and it was a welcome relief for everyone when the caravan finally pulled into one of the city squares in Commercial District 1.

As the prince hopped off the back of the wagon, he was surprised to see so much life around him. The reconstruction effort in this area looked almost complete. At first glance, no one would even recognize the charred stone they stood on with all the activity cluttering the square. Stalls and booths were set up, people were shouting their wares, music from the other side of the square could just barely be heard through the crowd. Children ran about and the laughter he heard was alien to him in this city.

His last memory of this exact spot was a lot more grim. In that moment, standing amidst the crowded square, he vividly remembered fire as tall as the walls surrounding the square. He remembered Glitter archers raining arrows down at him and his friends from the rooftops. He almost lost his best friend on this exact location.

"Go!" he remembered Elsword yelling, "Get out of here! Tell them District 1 is lost!"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Aisha had said. She was in tears then but Elsword couldn't keep up. He was in the open, an arrow had been lodged through his leg and he was only half way to the gate when everyone had already reached it. It took both Chung and Raven to keep her from running back into the square.

Chung remembered that same stupid grin he gave them. As if that was supposed to reassure the others that he was going to be okay. Elsword then severed a chain with one mighty strike of his sword, causing the gate to fall shut, leaving him on the wrong side. Chung couldn't leave him. He had tried to lift the gate putting all of his power into getting it open, again. He had to. For Elsword. Raven joined in, gripping the metal bars with his mechanical arm the two strained to lift the heavy gate. With their strength combined, the heavy metal shrieked as it was slowly lifted. His own hands faltered, though as he witnessed another arrow strike his friend in the back and he felt all of his power leave his legs. The gate dropped with a heavy clang just as Elsword fell motionless on the hard stone.

"Chung?" Pet tugged on his arm, face scrunched in a concern. "Are you okay?"

The prince realized he had been staring at that specific spot on the ground for quite sometime and he shook the memory from his head. "Yeah… I just don't do well in crowded areas."

"Well, where we're heading is a lot less crowded. I still owe you a drink so would you stick around? Mud, Pet, let's go. Gonna see if my old hideout's in one piece. Chung? You coming or what?" Roger asked, slinging his bag of things over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so. I need to find some way to earn money so I can rent a boat."

Chung made sure to see Earl before they left, giving him a strong shake of the hand as he bid him safe travels in the future. Vinny and the other wagoners were there to bid him farewell, too, wishing him the best on the rest of his journey. It took a few minutes for everyone to see him off but he caught up to Roger, Mud, and Pet who were hanging around near one of the fruit stands.

"So, Hamel, huh?" Roger asked. He reached into a nearby box of apples when a merchant wasn't looking and fished out a fresh apple, taking a bite out of it and walking away. Chung saw this and hurried to the stall owner with purple coin purse in hand. He handed the owner enough coin to pay for the stolen apple before tailing Roger.

"Y-yeah," Chung said, eyeing him as Roger hungrily scarfed down the rest of the fruit.

"What? You want one, too?" Roger fished another apple from his pocket and tossed it over to Chung and proceeded to hand both Mud and Pet one as well. They proceeded out of the square and down a narrow road that zig-zagged up hill towards the docks. Unlike the busy square, this area was more poverty-stricken. People young and old dotted these streets, sitting on porches and digging through piles of trash. Rags hung over their shoulders and on clotheslines that hung overhead. Some of the buildings looked as if they were still untouched from the demon attack.

"If you're going to Hamel I got some good news for you regarding your whole money issue," Roger continued, tossing the apple core aside as the few beggars that had been following them greedily fought over it.

"How much is it?" Chung saw a rather small child leaning against a wall and the prince handed his apple over to him. Pet and Mud saw this, too, and followed his example. Pet gave hers to an old man who had no teeth. While Mud gave his to a dog who looked as if it didn't know what to do with it.

"Free," Roger said.

"Really? Why? That's great news! When do they ship out?"

"Erm. I'll explain the details once we head out for drinks." The tall soldier stopped at a rather run down looking two-story building. Its windows were boarded up and looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. A large, worn out sign hung over the entrance. The paint had been faded long ago and the name was beyond legible for Chung to read. The only thing he could distinguish in the sign were two faded yellow mugs joined in a toast. A single metal door stood between them and the inside. It was pad locked. "Well, look what survived the demon invasion!"

"We're home!" Mud exclaimed. "Look, Chung. This is our secret key spot." He announced, loud enough for everyone to hear. The square soldier placed his hand on the worn bricks and tugged on a loose one, revealing a small key which he handed to Roger.

"At least you're good for something. Honestly, I didn't remember which one it was." Roger took the key and angrily shooed the beggars that had followed them away.

"This is your home?" Chung asked as Roger unlocked the door. The metal door swung open with a noisy creak, kicking up dust inside the building and casting sunlight into a worn, wooden room with a large table and a bar lined with empty bottles and a collection of unused drinking glasses. This place clearly had been a pub at some point in time but was now a roach-infested empty building.

"Eh, not exactly. Owner up and died about four or five years ago. Business wasn't exactly great in this area so no one wanted to buy this place. I borrow it every now and again if I need a place to lay low."

"What you're doing is illegal, you know," Chung said.

"Oh don't go preaching your goody-goody nonsense, kid. When you gots no place to stay and you have the choice of sleeping in the rain or under a solid roof there's a clear winner in the two. Mud and I can't afford none of that so we gots to make do with whatever we can. Ain't that right, big fella?" He patted Mud on the shoulder.

"Mud likes the house with the pretty ladies, best," the square soldier said.

Roger chuckled, "I know you do, big guy. I know you do. Chung, Pet, make yourselves at home. Just set your stuff here."

"But you're soldiers. Don't you get paid?" Chung asked. Now that he thought about it, despite the uniforms the two had been wearing, they did nothing he would expect hardened, trained, Velder soldiers would do.

Roger was quiet for a moment. It appeared Chung hit a sensitive spot bringing that up.

"How about that drink, kid? This heat's making me thirsty."

"Roger…" Chung felt he was dodging his questions again.

"Pet! Why don't you settle in. There are three rooms upstairs. They're not all bedrooms but you get to choose which one you want," Roger said to the girl.

"This place is dusty, though," Pet said. She spoke through her linen rags as they were pulled over her nose.

"Just open the windows upstairs and air it out. Uncle Roger is taking the guys out for a few drinks."

"I want to come!"

"No. It's going to be boring. We'll be back before sundown, okay? Just make yourself at home."

"Sitting around this dusty old building is going to be boring," she grumbled, lugging her bag as she stomped up the wooden stairs.

"Good girl," Roger said with a smile. He ushered the other two out the door and locked it. "We'll be back soon. Oh and guard our stuff, will ya?" he yelled at the second story window then turned to Chung, "C'mon. I got a pub I used to frequent."

* * *

Roger led Chung and Mud further down the street for some time. Even though some of the buildings had been rebuilt, the majority down the street still showed signs of the invasion that happened a year ago. Some buildings even bore claw marks from glitter demons that passed through the area towards the docks.

They eventually reached the docks with the street ending on top of a high wall overlooking the vast ocean towards the east. Below was a five-story drop that lead to a vast shipyard that stretched the entire coastline. Ships of all shapes and sizes docked here and flew banners of distant kingdoms visiting for trade or other business. The yard itself was busy with machines and working livestock that moved shipments on and off boats. Cannons and other artillery lined the walls and numbered in the hundreds. Chung had never seen anything quite like this since he lived back in Hamel and the sight brought a pained feeling of nostalgia from seeing a navy once again.

"Just down this walkway," Roger motioned as they descended a long ramp and stopped at an old looking tavern with a sign that hung over the door frame. "The Cold Wash" it read and bore a picture of a lighthouse being struck by a large wave.

"It's one of my favorite spots," Roger explained, "I know the owner pretty well and I got a really big favor to ask him, anyways. So why not kill two birds with one stone by taking my two best pals drinking, eh?"

"Do my eyes deceive me?" the bartender said out loud as Roger walked in with the other two close behind. "If it ain't Runaway Roger! Back from the dead! What? Did the reaper get tired of chasing you?"

Save for two other patrons, the bar was empty. A gentleman sat at the far end of the bar while another, whose face was hidden under a hat and a high collar sat by the door.

"Shut up, Morty, get me the usual. Three, actually. For Mud and my new friend here," Roger said, taking a seat at the bar, "And while you're at it I got a request for you."

"I… don't drink," Chung said.

"You shut up, too, kid, and take a load off. I'm treating you, here."

"Not until you pay up for the last ten times you ran out of my bar without picking up the tab. I could just call the guards and have them show you and your friends the door."

"Look, Morty, I ain't in the mood. Just blew in from a three week cruise from Elder and I got a bunch of stuff on my plate that need sorting so if we can just get our drinks we can get down to business."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the one named Morty said as he approached the three taking their seats, "Here, let me just erase all your debt and get you three shots of my best liquor on the house. You want a massage with that, too? I'm pretty sure my beautiful wife is around here somewhere to help you with that-oh wait she's dead-and so is my ability to care about your little excursion to some country-side kingdom. Now you either pay up or I'll have you thrown out."

The two glared at each other for some time and from the looks of it, Roger didn't have the money to pay. The tall soldier made a move to stand. Morty threw him a smug grin but before Roger could get up to leave Chung tossed in the remaining silver he had and a gold coin he kept under his armor plate in case of an emergency.

"Will this cover it?"

Morty paused, looking over the three silver coins and picked up the gold one. He thumbed the coin suspiciously before pocketing it and shoving the other silver coins back to him. "Looks like you found yourself a good friend, Roger. The usual, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Roger said, slowly sitting back down as the bartender fished out three whiskey glasses and opened an ice box. He then grumbled to Chung, "You didn't have to do that, you know. I'm the one paying for your drinks"

"He said you had a debt. I doubt you had enough to pay it off," Chung whispered back, "Besides, you said the boat ride was free. I won't be needing all this cash, then, if that's the case."

Roger was taken aback by the gesture. This was a first for Chung seeing him like that and as the bartender placed a glass in front of the three of them.

"You're really serious about going to Hamel, aren't you?"

Chung nodded.

"Why?"

"It's my home."

"Bullshit."

"Has it never crossed your mind that I wear armor bearing the crest of Hamel? That I'm using weapons made for Hamel Knights?"

"I don't know shit about Hamel. Not a lot of Velder folk do-what with your kind being all isolated and what-not. If memory serves me Hamel was the only major kingdom that refused trade with Velder. For all I know you could've been some Nasod or whatever what with your super human strength."

"Don't compare me to those mindless machines," Chung said.

"Right, sorry, hit a nerve," Roger replied, raising his hands defensively, "But you can't blame me for not knowing. Politics and stuff: that's rich folk talk. And I don't know if you noticed but I ain't exactly the wealthiest bastard in Elrios. Now you gonna drink your drink or are we going to end the night before the sun even sets."

Chung frowned and picked up the glass, looking at the rust-colored fluid as it swirled in his hand. He sniffed it but couldn't pick any particular odor and took a sip. The taste was disgusting. If he had to guess what lantern oil would taste like, it would be this; like drinking fire that burned everything on the way down to his stomach. He coughed, doing his best not to regurgitate the swill.

Roger laughed, "There you go! That'll put a few hairs on your chest."

"This stuff is terrible! What is it?"

"Whiskey. Velder's famous for this particular brand. You're not supposed to chug it. Just take it slow. You'll get used to it."

"I don't think I want to," Chung muttered, looking at the rest of the drink.

"We ain't leaving until you finish at least one. So. Hamel. When you land, what's your next move?"

Chung traced the lip of the glass in thought. "Honestly, I haven't thought much about what I'd do after I reached Hamel. I was more focused on actually getting there up until you told me it was free. I suppose I'd assess the situation. See what I'm dealing with. Find weaknesses that I can exploit."

"Mhm. Sounds easy enough," Roger said sarcastically.

Chung held his breath and tried to sip more of the drink. "What about you, Roger? What are you going to do here?"

Mud piped in at the question. "We're going to Hamel, too!"

This caused Chung to spit out his drink and even the bartender looked up from talking to another patron.

"Now hold on, you're going to Hamel, too?" Morty asked, approaching the three.

"That's what I should be saying," the prince added.

"That's the last place I'd expect you, of all people, to go, Roger."

Roger silently downed his glass, letting out a satisfied sigh as he motioned for a refill. Morty eyed him and poured him another glass.

"I'm only doing this because of your generous friend," Morty said.

"Okay, am I missing something?" Chung said as the drink was handed to Roger, "Hamel is a big deal to me, but what's it matter to you guys? Why are you going?"

"Remember how I said trips to Hamel are free?" Roger asked as he downed the entire refilled glass. "I don't know if you know, kid, but Velder's been running a campaign to get more boots on Hamel's shore. Everyone from knights to blacksmiths are asked to join for a hefty reward when they return."

"And that reward is…?" Chung was curious now.

Roger reached into his back pocket and unfolded an old, crumpled leaflet, and tossed it over to Chung.

"Ten million ED. If I did my math correctly that's a thousand gold pieces."

"Or ten platinum bars," Chung mumbled.

"I didn't even know that was a form of currency!" Roger exclaimed.

"But," Morty interrupted, "It's Runaway Roger we're talking about, here. Ten million ED? For you, I'm surprised you even considered signing up."

"Why do you call him Runaway Roger?"

Morty glanced at Roger who only shrugged and signaled for him to tell.

"Has he told you about the invasion a year ago?"

Chung shook his head. "He's been meaning to. I've wanted to hear his side of the story-"

"There is no side to his story. He wasn't there." Morty said.

"What do you mean?"

"The man's a coward, kid. He signs up to be a soldier when the military has nothing to do but sit with their thumb up their assess for ten years! Then, at the first sign of trouble this guy up and leaves. How do I know? Because he and his stupid friend here were here drinking their lives away when the demon's invaded! The second the town bells start sounding off he gets white as a ghost and runs out of my bar like a bat out of hell. Last I've seen of him since. Until now at least. I always thought the poor bastard had died in some ditch until you dragged him in here," Morty said.

"Is that true?" Chung asked Roger. The man opened his mouth to speak but Morty answered for him.

"The proof is in what he's wearing. Look at this guy: he abandoned his post as a soldier yet he still wears his old Velder uniform! A lot of soldiers died during that invasion. A lot of good paying customers aren't here anymore, you know. Don't get me wrong, it's very admirable that you're going out to Hamel and all, Roger, but I won't believe it until I see that ship leave the dock with you in it."

"Alright,  _alright_! I get it. I ran away. I'm a coward. But I've changed over the year. Ain't that right, Mud?"

"You's smart, now," Mud said, hugging the tall soldier.

Roger struggled out of his crushing embrace. "I've always been smart. I'm talking about behaved. I've been good this year, right?"

"Duh… you hadn't killed no one, I think."

"Great," Morty mumbled, "A potential murderer has potentially not killed anyone."

"Chung! You've known me for three weeks. Tell him."

"Erm," Chung thought about it and could only picture the soldier lazing about after taking an arrow to the rib. His injury kept him from moving for the rest of the trip, "He defended a wagon on his way here. He was shot in the rib and was recovering for the last two weeks of the trip."

"Oh  _really_?" Morty asked, cocking an eyebrow, "You know it's funny I can't picture that."

"That's because he wasn't defending us," a voice said across the bar. A familiar face sat at the far end, a large pitcher, half-filled with beer, at the man's side. It took a while for Chung to guess since he had been staring at the back of the man's head for the majority of three weeks but it was undoubtedly Vinny.

"Sorry to be eavesdropping but I can't keep this a secret from you, kid. You deserve to know: he was trying to leave us to die. He told me… we weren't worth protecting or something or the other. It was two weeks ago. Old brain can't remember exactly."

"Well maybe you're remembering wrong," Chung argued, "I saw him and Mud were fighting those bandits. Two on four. They risked their lives. I saw it with my own eyes."

Vinny shook his head. "Oh, Chung… You're a good kid but you can't lie to yourself like this. You gotta accept the reality of it. The only reason they were fighting was because they saw him trying to run. He had no choice but to fight-"

"But he had to fight and he did! He protected you guys… right?"

Mud nodded. "Roger told me to make the bad men dead so I did. And then he almost made me dead." The square soldier flashed everyone the deep scars on his hands.

"I know, Mud. You did good. You held them off and I got there just in time to finish them off." Chung reached over behind Roger and patted Mud on the shoulder, garnering a goofy little chuckle from him.

"And then we gave back Chung's money," Mud said.

" _And_  they returned your money?" Morty leaned over the counter, eyeing Roger, "How'd he lose it, by the way?"

"Roger took it," Mud said.

"What?!" Chung exclaimed.

"Mud…" the tall soldier sighed, sipping his drink, "you're a true genius, you know that."

"Thanks, boss."

Chung faced the man, face flush with anger and alcohol. "Roger, is it true? You  _stole_  my coin purse? I would've been stuck in Bethma if I hadn't caught up with the caravan! Do you know how important that coin purse was to me?"

Roger didn't look at him but instead stared straight ahead at the rows of liquor that filled the wall. Although he wasn't looking, Chung could tell he was doing his best not to look him in the eye.

"Well, I know,  _now_. It was made for you by that Aisha girl. Chung, relax. I gave it back, didn't I?"

"You took some of my money! I wouldn't have had enough to make it if Earl hadn't let me ride for free."

"I'm paying you back, though, remember? I'm treating you right now."

" _I_  paid for your drinks!  _And_  I paid for your debt! I didn't even want to be here drinking this gross stuff to begin with! I should be preparing for the next boat ride out of here, not getting drunk with some lowlife scum! Let me set the record straight here, I knew you had a problem. But the way I saw you fight those bandits, I thought there was some good in you. I wanted to believe that. That's why I wasted my time taking care of that girl of yours. You were hurt, I get that. But this girl you're taking care of? She doesn't even know how to read, much less do basic arithmetic. Whenever I tried to teach her something new you'd berate me for teaching her 'useless' things. I let all those times slide because I thought you were a good person deep down but I've seen nothing but selfishness from you. I'm surprised you even took her in given the kind of person you are! This is the last straw. I can't believe this."

"Sorry you had to stick with this guy for three whole weeks. Want me to kick him out?" Morty asked, cracking his knuckles.

"That won't be necessary. I'm leaving." Chung chugged the rest of his drink and slammed the glass down before turning to leave. "When's the next boat for Hamel?"

"Tomorrow morning," Morty said, "Ship sets sail at dawn. First come first serve and there's usually quite a crowd, too, so you might want to get there early."

Chung thanked the bartender before storming out, nearly knocking over the empty table where the other patron had been. He couldn't believe it. He knew there were rotten people in the world but never had he felt so fooled by his own judgement. He really wanted to believe Roger was good deep down for Pet's sake but there just was no way he could ignore it anymore. He was a lazy, good-for-nothing, selfish thief that only took advantage of others.

To make things worse, Pet was going to be  _living_  with this guy. At least until he ships out. If and when he ships out. And even then, who would be taking care of her? Was he just going to leave her here? What person in their right mind would just leave a kid to fend for themselves?

Chung needed to take Pet and find a nice safe place for her to stay. He had to do it tonight. The boat sets sail tomorrow and he couldn't wait for another. Not when he was so close to his goal. He just needed to find the old bar again and-

"Pet?" Chung gasped, stopping dead in his tracks. The sun was beginning to set at this time, shining red light at his eyes as he made his way back downhill towards the commercial district. Down the narrow path, blasted by the light, he had to squint to see a familiar figure peeking at him from around the corner. Blonde hair and potato sack linens was all he could see but this was undoubtedly Pet and she dipped back into the alleyway out of sight from the prince. That wasn't where the bar was. It was further down.

"What is she doing outside?" Chung mumbled, "She could get lost." He was aware that what he could be seeing might be a misjudgement due to alcohol. Of course he had never experienced the effects before so he wasn't sure what to expect from a glass of whiskey.

Regardless, he couldn't just ignore the possibility and took on after her. Rounding the corner into the dark alleyway, he barely caught the glimpse of blonde locks at the far end of the path just as the girl disappeared into the shadows.

He pursued, wandering deeper and deeper down the path flanked by tall, dilapidated buildings until he reached the dead end. A single lantern light lay tipped over casting her shadow on the wall behind her and she stood there like an actress's first time on stage. She was facing him but her eyes were kept to the ground as she shuffled her feet nervously.

"Pet? What are you doing out here? You should be back at Roger's place-actually, it's a good thing you left," He knelt down to her level trying to look her in the eyes but she kept them averted, "Roger's a bad person, Pet. How's about finding you a new guardian?"

"Chung?" she whispered almost inaudibly. He had to get in close to hear her.

"Yes?"

"Where… are you going?" The voice was almost impossible to hear without his ear right up to her.

"Ah… were you… listening to us?"

"Where… are you going?" she whispered again.

"...Hamel."

"Why?"

Explaining his situation to Roger and Mud was easy. But for some reason, telling Pet was exponentially more difficult. The girl seemed so broken up about it that she didn't even seem like herself anymore.

"There's just something there that I have to do."

"Why?" she asked, again. Was she crying? The girl was breathing heavier but it was so soft that he couldn't tell.

The thought of breaking the little girl's heart hurt him more than the truth laid out for him a few minutes ago. He had only known her for three weeks but he felt like he knew her for a lifetime. He wanted to tell her about his father. He wanted to tell her about how long he has waited to go back home and find out what happened to the king. He wanted to tell her that even though he felt in his heart he already knew the truth, it was his job as the prince of a nation to try and avenge his fallen country.

"Are you coming back?" Pet asked. The question hit him a lot harder than he thought as a flood of emotions filled his chest. The way he saw it, this was going to be the last time he would see Pet ever again. He embraced her.

Chung had seen the demons that swallowed chariots whole. He had seen them burn, slice, crush, and do every unspeakable thing that could be done to a human body. He had seen how a single demon general can cleave through a whole platoon of Hamelian soldiers as effortlessly as one would breath.

And as he hugged her he uttered one word; a single word that he, too, had a hard time coming to terms with: "No."

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day he would sail home. Tomorrow was the beginning of his end.

Was he really up for it? Did he even have the power to make a difference? Was this really the best course of action? Did any of it even matter now that he has come this far? A single thought crept into his mind and he hung onto it as desperately as he held onto the little girl in front of him: all of it didn't matter as long as his friends were okay.

At first he thought Pet was the one who would cry but the young man was surprised to feel the tears roll down his cheek. Why now? Of the hundreds of life threatening things he has done to this day, why was he like this now? If only Elsword or Aisha were here. They'd know how to cheer him up. As he thought about his friends, more tears began to flow. Chung then understood why he was at a poor state: he missed them. In the five years he had always been with his friends through thick and thin. Their presence was the reason he was able to continue to stand and fight. But they weren't here, now. He realized, for the first time since he met them: he was alone.

"Sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me," he said shakily as he held the girl. She wasn't holding him, however. And as he embraced her, he felt a growing notion that something wasn't right.

"Pet?" he mumbled. Movement caught his eye as he looked up at the shadow they cast on the wall behind the girl. Her hand was raised and it was holding something: something sharp that glinted in the lantern's light.

He pushed her away, falling back as a rusty blade sliced the front of his cotton shirt. The girl fell back as well, blade still in her hand.

"Pet? What… what are you doing?"

Like a marionette the girl rose to its feet by some invisible force, lifeless eyes stared back at cyan ones. She took a step towards Chung, causing him to backpedal as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Her whole body began to shake unnaturally as if something was bursting out of her back. Although nothing did, the shadow cast on the wall betrayed the image as the shadow of something large and covered in spines seemed to be crawling out of her.

The shadow on the wall was as big as an average man but stood on four spine-shaped legs. The lifeless body fell to the ground and began to fade in a puff of smoke. The invisible being could be seen as the smoke caressed its body. Slowly the beast faded into reality with Pet's body vaporizing into nothingness before it. Yellow, lightning-like streaks were traced from its nose to tail contrasted by its black scales, the beast stared at Chung with small ruby-like eyes. He had seen this demon before. But where?

The prince's eyes widened as he slowly reached for the holster of his weapon. This was one of those demons from two months ago; the ones that attacked him and Eve. What was it doing here? But more importantly: what had it done to Pet?

His hand gripped nothing but air and he suddenly remembered he had left his things back at the bar. He was unarmed! Chung hurried to his feet as the beast let out a low growl. It came bounding after him, zig zagging at breakneck speed, dodging the clutter of the alleyway faster than the prince could even think about running.

Someone passed him, however, putting himself between Chung and the demon, throwing all their weight into stopping the beast as the prince was moments away from getting his head bitten off.

"No… hurt… Chung!" Mud said, hands gripping the top and bottom of the demon's jaw open.

Based on size alone, Chung had guessed the man was strong, but to be able to hold the beast's mouth open like that was impressive, to say the least. The demon growled at Mud, whipping its head about in an attempt to shake him off but only managing to shake itself under the man's powerful grip. Despite this, though, Mud was quickly losing steam holding the jaw open. Chung had to do something. But without a weapon, he couldn't do much.

Suddenly, as if on cue, Roger appeared. Bounding past Chung, with his new blade in hand, he put all his weight into a powerful thrust, driving the blade into the underside of the beast, severing the tendon on the front right leg. The leg went limp as he twisted the blade and the demon fell over with a pained yelp. It kicked its forelegs wildly as it tried to stab the other two, catching Mud on the thigh.

Despite this, Mud held fast, keeping the beast from biting his arms off while Roger withdrew his blade and plunged it again and again into the belly of the beast. With each thrust, the beast's struggles weakened until it was nothing but a motionless corpse. With one final deathrattle, the beast began to fade into nothingness just as Pet did, leaving nothing but Mud's own blood dripping on the ground.

"Roger… Mud…" Chung muttered as he stood there, speechless from what he had just seen.

Both soldiers were breathing heavily as Roger wiped the spit from his chin.

The tall soldier regarded Mud's injuries and turned to Chung and said, "You okay?"

"Y-yeah… thanks."

"Right. How about you, Mud?"

"My leg is blood."

"Looks like a scratch, walk it off big guy," Roger said dismissively then turned back to Chung, "The hell was that thing?"

"A demon," Chung said.

"No shit. I mean what was it doing here and why were you hugging… you know what? Nevermind. It was a demon."

"What? You saw it, too right? Pet disappeared," Chung said looking at where her body would have been. A rusty kitchen knife was the only evidence of her existence.

"Pet? The hell you talking about?"

"You didn't see her? That thing came out of her."

"Not what I saw," Roger muttered.

"Well then what did you see?"

Roger scratched his head as he sheathed his sword. "We came after you after finishing our drink. Thought you needed space but… you know, we erm, I had to apologize for my behavior these past few days… anyways, we saw you dip out into the alleyway. Me and Mud thought you were getting yourself lost or something so we ran to catch up. Next thing we know we see you hugging… well… who it is isn't important but it wasn't Pet. Then that thing came out of it and the rest is history."

Chung sighed, "Well whatever it was it's dead, now."

"There ain't more of those, are there? Why was it trying to kill you?"

"I don't know and I don't know. But this isn't the first time I've encountered them."

"No kidding?" Roger asked, nudging Mud to follow as they made their way out of the alleyway.

As they made their way back to the abandoned bar, Chung told Roger and Mud the story of that fated night at the forest two months ago. The walk was a bit lengthy and by the time they reached the bar, he had finished his tale and the sun had completely set.

"That Eve girl sounds like a bitch."

"Yes, but that's not the point. I wonder if my friends are okay, too, seeing as one just attacked me. I can only hope that the others managed to hold off another attack on their end."

They stopped at the entrance and Roger fished out the key and unlocked the door. A faint light could be seen on the second story window and the sound of Pet calling to them as they opened the door was what Chung was hoping to hear. The girl appeared, bounding down the stairs with a candle in one hand, waving excitedly at them as they entered.

"I was bored. You smell like drinking," she said, raising a candle to each of their faces, but stopped at Mud.

"You're bleeding! Why?"

Chung tried to answer but Roger quickly interrupted, "Bar fight. Things happen when guys get drunk. It's why we didn't want you to come along, Pet. You could've got hurt."

"Aww, but I could've fought, too."

Roger chuckled, patting the girl on the head. "When you're older and can hold your own drink, I'll be sure to take you."

"Is Mud going to be okay?" Pet asked.

"Sure he will, Pet. He walked all the way here. How do you feel big guy?"

"As… as fit as… as fit as a piano."

"Fiddle, you dumbass," Roger said.

"No thank you," Mud replied.

"See. Anyways, here we are. Chung, why don't you and Pet go and rest up. Mud and I gots some business to get back to back at The Cold Wash."

"You're going back for more drinks?"

Roger paused and after a moment nodded, "Yeah. You stormed off after that, erm… bar fight and we had to leave a little prematurely, too. Ain't no fun ending the night early."

"But I've been sitting in here doing nothing all day."

"You can hang out with Chung."

"Oh…" she said, eyes wide with realization as she gave a slow nod.

Roger smiled, reaching into his pocket and putting the key to the place on a table. "I tend to lose this when I drink. So be a good kid and open the door when I come knocking later, tonight, alright?" he said to Chung.

"Alright… Don't stay out too late," Chung mumbled.

"Can't make any promises," Roger said.

The tall soldier squatted down to Pet's level as he stared at her through her candle for an uncomfortably long time before sighing. He ran a hand through her hair, causing the girl to shrug away from him and garnering a hearty laugh as he stood.

"You're a good kid, Pet," he said as he turned to make his way out with Mud. The door shut behind them with a loud clang followed by the sound of fading foot steps back uphill.

As the door closed, Chung suddenly remembered that he had wanted to talk to Pet regarding that man's custody of her. But all this melted away when he felt a hand grip his.

"Do you think he'll be home in time?" she asked, sounding genuinely worried for the old man.

"Ah… I doubt it. You'll probably be up for a while if you waited for him." Chung made his way to the door and locked it before following the girl upstairs. "Did you pick out your room?"

"Sure did! This one!" she exclaimed, leading him over to a mostly empty room save for a iron stove shoved off in a corner and two beds on opposite ends of the room. This must have been where Roger and Mud slept long ago. The room was the biggest out of the other two: one of which was a storage closet and the other a bathroom with no windows so the one she chose was an obvious winner. It came with a balcony that overlooked the market square they had arrived in and also had a hammock tied to two support beams that held the roof up.

Chung imagined Roger lounging on it with a bottle of liquor in one hand. He laughed at the thought. How easy-going his life might have been.

"You can have that bed," Pet pointed before flopping on the other. "Roger and Mud can have that boring room across from us. Tomorrow we can start decorating each other's sides of the bed. I have a bit of money hidden in my bag. We can buy things like flowers and other stuff to make each side look nice. If you want, I mean. If you want to save money, that's fine, too. I plan on exploring the rest of the city. Roger probably will be asleep all day if he's out drinking like he usually is, so we shouldn't wait for them to return. We should get up bright and early-"

"Pet," Chung said suddenly as he took a seat on the bed opposite of hers.

"Yes?" she perked up, obviously flustered at being in the same room alone with him. He saw this way too much from Aisha to write it off as nothing.

"About tomorrow."

"Do you want to take a break? We can do that, too."

Chung sighed, rubbing his neck as he tried to find the words. He already confessed his plans to a fake Pet once.

"I'd love to take a break. But… I got stuff to do."

"Oh…" Pet said, "After are you free?"

"We'll see," he said. He couldn't do it. Roger knew where he was going. Since the man was going to stick around town for a while, anyways, he thought he'll leave it to Roger to explain. That'd be easier.

"Are you okay, Chung? You seem sad."

Chung blinked, suddenly aware of how watery his eyes must have looked. "What? Oh… no. I'm just tired. That's all. Aren't you tired?"

Pet shook her head. "I've been sitting here doing nothing for a long time. But that's okay. You can sleep. I'll let Roger in when he knocks."

"You sure?" Chung asked, turning to lay on the bed. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable set of springs he's ever lain on. But it was better than a wooden surface or dirt. "Okay but be sure to check who it is before opening, okay?"

"I'm not stupid," Pet said.

Chung laughed, "I know you're not. Good night, Pet. If you need anything just let me know."

* * *

Chung didn't sleep much that night. He couldn't even if he wanted to. Like Morty had said, he had to get up bright and early if he wanted to secure a spot on the boat. The exact time, he wasn't sure, but he figured before the sun came up was early enough. He spent the entirety of the night in a sort of half-sleep state. This wasn't new to him as he had to do this a few times when he and his friends had been on high alert during their adventures. Still, the night dragged on as he balanced being asleep and awake while listening for Roger and secretly watching Pet.

Roger never came back that night. Pet had given up waiting for the man a little past midnight and went to bed shortly after. It was around that time that Chung actively glanced out the balcony window to check the time at a distant clock tower. At around half past four, the young man got up and quietly began gathering his things. He was suited and ready in ten minutes though the sleepless night made it difficult to ignore the fatigue. The boat ride should take at least three days from one side of the ocean to the other so that should be plenty of time to catch up on rest, he figured.

With his armor strapped and boots tightened, Chung just had to pick up his weapons at the first floor. Before making his way back down the stairs, however, he made sure to check on Pet, bidding her a quiet farewell and a soft apology before quietly creeping down the stairs. He had a strange sense of deja vu then and it wasn't until he reached the bottom of the stairs that he realized this was just how it was when he left Aisha and the others. He never imagined he'd be leaving his friends without telling them again so soon. Still, he had to do this. He was so close to home.

All the while he had been preparing, he noticed that Roger was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't upstairs nor was he anywhere on the first floor. The key remained exactly where he left it on a table by the door. Was the man still out drinking? Chung didn't have time to look for him but if he was still at the bar he'd have to give the key to him before he left.

He assumed the soldier and his friend should be at The Cold Wash. It would be either that or Morty would at least know where he had gone to-assuming the bartender was still up at this hour. Regardless, Chung pocketed the key and slung the destroyer over his shoulder, taking extra effort to open and shut the door as quietly as possible.

With the door secured, Chung hurried back up the street towards the docks, trying his best to locate The Cold Wash from memory. This was difficult at night, however, as the area seemed so much different without sunlight. Through the twists and turns of the city slums, he made it a point to do his best to just head east, stopping at one point to look at the stars and figure out which way he was facing in the maze.

He arrived after a while and saw, to his relief, the bartender sitting on a makeshift wooden bench at the bar's porch. He was smoking a pipe and staring off towards the east. Morty spotted the young man and motioned him over.

"Came to watch the sunrise, kid?" he asked, patting the open spot next to him.

Chung declined to the invitation. "Have you seen Roger? He was supposed to be home a while ago."

"Is that so?" Morty asked, "That ain't what he told me."

"What'd he tell you?" Chung asked, a bit perplexed.

"He said he'd meet you by the docks. Said you'd be bringing something for me."

Chung sighed, fishing out his purple coin purse and shaking out the last three silver pieces. "How much did he drink? I really don't have much left."

Morty shook his head, "That ain't what I meant. You brought the key to his place?"

"Huh? Yeah… why?" He asked, fishing the key out of his pocket.

The bartender took the key from him, taking a long draw from his pipe and leaning back before speaking again, "Roger had a rather huge favor to ask of me. Said there's a young girl that needs looking after at the old bar he's been squatting in. This is the same girl you've been yelling at him about last night, right? From the sound of it she's in need of a decent home. Can't say hiding in a run down building would be the best for her so Roger wanted me to take her in," Morty snorted, "Don't know how much better off she'd be under my care but I'm sure if my wife were alive today she'd be ecstatic."

"Wait… so you're adopting her?"

"Damn straight I am. Actually, it's more like I'm babysitting her for the time being. Roger comes back, he pays me a portion of his earnings and he gets the girl back if he so wishes. Honestly I never met the girl so I'm hoping she ain't one of those trouble-making types. Knowing the kind of person Roger is, I'd say that's wishful thinking."

"When Roger gets back… he's leaving today?" Chung exclaimed.

Morty nodded, "A ferry comes in once a month to rotate out the old soldiers and bring in new ones. Always a lot less of em come home, just so you know. Every month I watch the new recruits line up waiting to get on that boat. Every month parents of their kids wait anxiously for their sons and daughters to step off it. Some do. Other families just wait and wait until that boat is long gone in the horizon, still waiting for their kid to come home. For those still waiting, it's either their loved one's service has been extended or there's a rather sad message waiting for them in the mail from overseas."

Chung was quiet at that. He expected this much, of course. But it was nice to know he wouldn't be alone in this fight. Having the Velder Knights available to help was definitely a plus for his journey.

"So about this kid I'm adopting…" Morty said after a while.

"She's a good girl," Chung reassured him, "She has a good heart. And she acts on good intentions."

"What's her name?"

"Pet."

"That's a bizarre name. What is she some kind of dog?"

"I actually never asked why."

"Well I'll ask her. Honestly that sounds more like a slave's name. I'll look into it."

"I could ask Roger," Chung said.

"Yeah, you do that. But don't hurry back and tell me. You can see the ferry in the horizon now so they should be boarding soon," Morty explained. He pointed down at the docks at an area filled with red-garbed soldiers, "There's a bunch of them over there now. So I doubt they'd have much room left."

"Oh! Okay, thank you," Chung said, turning to hurry down the wall.

"And be careful, boy. Don't do nothing stupid," Morty called after him.

"A little late for that," Chung mumbled as he ran along the large ramp that zig-zagged downard.

Chung arrived just as the ferry was pulling in. There must have been close to a hundred men and women garbed in red waiting for the boat to arrive. A crowd of friends and family surrounded the departing soldiers as they all bid them a safe journey. A recruiter stood with at boarding area with clipboard on hand, signalling the men to log their names in the registry before boarding.

"Chung," Roger signaled for the young man near the front of the crowd.

Chung saw the tall man waving and he hurried over, pushing his way to the front. A blue in a crowd of red.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Chung said as he regarded Mud as well. The square soldier smiled at him and waved. A clean bandage was wrapped around his thigh where the demon had hit. It looked like it was freshly changed, too. He looked at Roger but was shocked to see him with a puffy black eye. "What… happened?"

"Yeah. I couldn't wait another month with the funds I had available. So I thought to myself it was either now or never! Er… by the way, how is Pet doing?"

"You're leaving her alone with a stranger," Chung said in a somewhat scolding tone.

"Relax, kid. Morty is a good man. You know he lost his pregnant wife back when the demons first invaded Velder. Sad story, it was. Still holds a lot of bad blood for me for running with my tail between my legs. In fact he blames me for his wife's death. Got an ear full of it last night. But after some, er, negotiating he agreed to watch Pet while we go and fight the bad guys."

"Black eye?" Chung asked.

Roger nodded, "Hence the black eye."

"Why didn't you tell Pet you were leaving?" Chung asked.

"Figured it was best this way," Roger said with a defeated shrug, "You were right, last night. She doesn't deserve a person like me to be her guardian. It got me thinking that if I can somehow make it rich like this, then I can buy her a better life. You know?"

They reached the front of the line and the recruiter looked at the three of them. "Right, why aren't you in uniform, boy?"

"I'm not a Velder soldier, sir," Chung said.

"Blacksmith?"

"No."

"Doctor?"

"No."

"Are you with the Imperial Elite guard?"

"I don't think so?"

"Then what are you doing in this line?" the recruiter asked, impatiently.

"I'm here to go to fight for Hamel. It's my home."

The recruiter's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, challenging the boy. Chung stood unmoved, eyes fixed on the ferry as the doors slowly opened.

"Where are you from, boy?"

"Hamel."

"Hamelians were wiped out five years ago. What would a Hamelian be doing here?"

Ignoring the comment about Hamelians being wiped out, he looked the recruiter in the eye and answered as honestly as possible. "I was secretly escorted out of Hamel during the initial attack, sir."

"Secretly escorted out?" the recruiter chuckled in disbelief, "What, you think you're important enough to get that kind of special service? Not even the king himself got a 'special escort' out of that hell hole."

"I'm his son, sir. Chung Seiker. Prince Chung Seiker."

This caught everyone's attention as the entire crowd fell silent. The recruiter obviously wasn't convinced. "The reports say the prince and all royal ties were killed."

"The reports were wrong. I'm alive and ready to take back my home."

"Prove it," the recruiter said, standing back and crossing his arms.

Chung looked to the others and motioned for them to stand back. The crowd stepped back, giving him more space as he slung the large bag off his shoulder and unwrapped it. The white destroyer shined in the rising sun and, with one hand, slammed its weight on the paved walkway with enough force to crack it. He swung the cannon into a siege stance as effortlessly as a man would wield a staff.

"This is my weapon: a cannon that can only be wielded by a true Hamelian. Its weight would be impossible for any other man to carry like I can. The armor I wear is the Frieturnier, a family relic passed down from the Seiker family line."

He pulled the reload lever, causing a loud click as a round was loaded and he pushed the lever forward, disengaging the lock and firing the cannon upward. The cannonball flew high into the air, exploding in a loud blue boom.

"Alright, alright!" the recruiter said, motioning for him to stop. "Any more of that and we'll have the Knights on you faster than you can say an apology. Sheesh. So Chung Seiker is it?" The recruiter scribbled his name on the list. "Any next of kin- er family or friends we should be aware of?"

"For what?" Chung asked, sliding the cannon back into its case and slinging it over his shoulder.

"What do you mean for what? In case you die. We need someone to pass the money off to for your services if worst comes to worst."

Chung honestly hadn't considered that. He was, after all, going for his own reasons and not for the money. Now that he was aware of the large payout-

"What about that Aisha girl?" Roger suggested. "I'm jotting down Morty. And so is Mud so… if one of us croaks it'll go to Pet."

"Elesis and her brother Elsword, then. They're members of the Velder Knights," Chung said.

"Got it, I know the names," the recruiter said, jotting down the names. "You're friends with those two? I heard they were out working with some goody-goody charity brigade."

Chung ignored that comment. As the names were jotted down a commotion started in the crowd as the ferry doors swung open. The captain, pale and grim, exited the ship.

"What's going on?" someone from the crowd of families said.

"Why aren't there any returning soldiers?" another asked.

The captain of the ferry nervously rubbed his arm as he tried to find the words. "Uh, sorry everyone. There's been an incident," he said, his voice immediately being drowned out by protests.

A volley of what's and why's were thrown at him and he cowered under the amount of shouting against him.

"Quiet!" he said after taking a moment to regain some composure, "There has been an incident and… many of our brave soldiers had… to stay for an extended amount of time."

This brought on another wave of protests, causing the man to shy away from them again.

The recruiter handed Roger the registry to fill out and boarded the ferry to question the captain of the ship. With their backs turned to the rest of the crowd, the captain explained the situation, taking off his hat and bowing his head. The recruiter put an arm over the man's shoulder and nodded. He seemed to be reassuring the captain and, after regaining his composure again, the captain nodded, too, and put his cap back on.

"All men waiting to board to fight for Velder finish logging your name into the registry!" the recruiter said, exiting the ferry.

The protests continued as some of the new recruits seemed a bit hesitant after that exchange.

Chung was the first on the ship, followed by Roger and Mud. A few began trickling in as the more headstrong types signed the registry without hesitation.

"The hell do you think that was about?" Roger whispered.

"What do you think?" Chung said, straight-faced and well aware of what might be going on in Hamel. He looked Roger in the eye. It was brief but Chung saw a faint glint of anxiety in the man's eyes. "Roger…"

"I'm thinking all this time I've been talking to royalty," Roger said, plastering on a look of annoyance. "You've been holding out on me, kid, er no- 'your majesty'."

"Please, don't," Chung said with a sigh, "I'm still the same guy I was five minutes ago."

"So then what? Prince Chung? How about 'his highness'? Or what about 'my liege'." He did all this in a mock bow.

"You're in a surprisingly good mood despite what we're doing," Chung muttered, leaning against the railing and looking as nearly half of the new recruits still on the docks had already backed out of the deal.

"So when we take back Hamel, how's about tossing an old friend a bone? A few million ED as to a comrade in arms?" Roger asked, putting a heavy hand on the young man's shoulder.

Chung rolled his eyes, "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As usual, thank you again, Tiffany, for editing my work! Another chapter done. A lot more OC talk than the rest, sorry! Anyways, the next chapter WILL be in Hamel. A LOT of stuff is going to happen there. Like a LOT. Everything up to now is a set up for events to come so I hope I've done well enough in establishing Chung's relationship with OCs as well as the El gang. I know. I didn't get to Add or Elesis and wanted to get into that in THIS chapter but it would've been so damned long that I'd have to separate it into TWO chapters. Maybe even three and that's way too much. So on to the story, lemme know what you think!


	7. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost a month of traveling, Chung has finally returned home with a handful of soldiers to help him with his cause. But what awaits the men and women just across the water?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

"Elsword!" Aisha cried through the gate. The group watched helplessly as the demons surrounded their fallen leader who lay face down on the cobblestone. An elf, dark in skin tone with messy hair tied in a ponytail approached the motionless body and turned him over with a nudge of her foot. The red-headed boy let out a pained groan as the arrow still lodged through his back snapped under his weight.

"Well if it isn't my favorite little pest. We meet, again, but wait… You don't look so good," she said, a finger placed at the tip of the arrowhead sticking through his chest. "Elsword, was it? Anything I could do to help ease the pain?" As she said that she gripped the arrow shaft and wrenched it about, causing the boy to scream in pain.

"Stop it!" Aisha yelled, face in tears, "Don't you dare hurt him!"

The elf looked up at the group standing at the other end of the gate and threw them a wry smile. "Stop? Please. After what you did to my sentinels? I'll make this one's last moments excruciatingly painful. You just sit and enjoy the show. That'll teach you  _humans_  not to mess with Chloe." Her eyes fell on Rena and her smile only grew, "Rena you're missing out. Why don't you leave these short-eared sacks of flesh and join us instead? Our men will last a lot longer than that half-Nasod you have with you."

Rena's grip on her bow tightened and she quickly nocked an arrow. With a soft exhale of breath she imbued it with magical properties before letting it fly through the holes of the gate.

Chloe drew a blade at her hip, spinning it over her wrist with a quick flick before deflecting the arrow with a well timed swing, knocking it down to her feet and narrowly missing Elsword in the head. The green arrow shimmered as explosive seeds sprouted on the ends of the shaft.

"I wouldn't detonate that arrow if I were you," Chloe said, knowingly. "Fooled me once. But never again… now, where were we?" The elf looked down at Elsword who was coughing up a lot of blood from the pierced lung. "Ah, yes. Elsword," She placed her sandaled foot on the arrow shaft sticking out of his chest and slowly rotated it within him at an increasingly wider angle.

Elsword writhed in agony at the torture and Chloe laughed at the music of his wails.

Chung couldn't watch. He couldn't just let his friend die like this. He stuck the barrel of one of his revolvers through the thick bars, the narrow holes only allowing so much room to aim and fired into the circle of demons, missing a few times as he tried to draw a bead. Chloe already had her magical blade out as the shots drew closer and she expertly deflected each shot with her lightning fast reflexes.

"Dammit! We have to do something," Chung said, slamming a heavy fist against the gate. "Where's Ara?"

"I don't know. She ran off again," Raven said through gritted teeth.

"Did she say where she was going?"

"Even if she did I wouldn't have understood her anyways. C'mon. We have to look for another way in."

Chung couldn't believe it. For once he would like to complete an objective without that girl running off to do her own thing. He couldn't wait, though. Raven was right. He had to find another way in and save Elsword somehow.

There was a pained roar from the other side of the gate that caught the other's attention. Even Chloe stopped to look as a glitter archer was thrown from the roof towards the circle of enemies. It was dead before it hit the ground and as it slowly rolled over the others could see its throat was slashed open.

"There she is!" Raven said, trying to find an angle through the bars to see what was going on.

"That's not Ara," Rena said as another body was thrown from the roof.

The figure, shrouded in smoke and flame, cut through the archers lining the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Based on the remaining numbers, the person had been at it for a while as the last of the archers came crashing down on a burning wagon.

The figure leapt down on the same burning wagon in a fiery burst that rippled out as she stepped into view. Flame-like red hair flowed wildly in the heat. Dressed in a black zip top, black pants, and a white coat burned at the fringes, she stared at Chloe with a burning intensity that matched the inferno around her.

She bore a long black blade with a white hilt in one hand while an orb of fire danced over her other open palm. She was tall. Not quite as tall as Rena but taller than Chung and the way she stood exuded an aura of power that Chung could feel as the flames around the burning square seemed to burn more fervently from her presence.

She said something that Chung couldn't hear but reading her lips she must have said something on the lines of "Let him go."

"Convince me to," Chloe challenged with open arms as the demons around her placed themselves defensively in front of the elf.

"With pleasure," was what Chung could make out from the woman's lips. She said it with a grin that Chung swore he had seen before.

The woman took her fighting stance, both hands gripping the blade as a circle of flame danced at her feet. Her grip tightened and the circle of flames billowed out wildly. She let out a powerful cry as she started her charge right into the brunt of the demon phalanx. With a single sweep of her long blade she cut a bright streak in the air which burst into a cone of flame.

* * *

"Yeah, that's definitely Elesis," the youngest looking of the recruits said to the others who were gathered around Chung. "Affectionately called 'the Blazing Heart' among the Velder Knights for her fiery swordplay and equally fiery looks. I have a poster of her in my room back home."

What started as a small circle of men passing war stories back and forth quickly grew into an audience listening to the life and times of Chung, the Hamel Prince. In the three days that they had been sailing, the men and women aboard the ferry quickly learned that the prince was quite the adventurer and had a number of stories to tell to help kill the time.

"Was she really that beautiful?" Roger asked, still a bit unconvinced about Chung's story. The prince nodded along with the other men and some women that had joined in on listening.

"They say she once made love so passionately to a man that his bed caught fire," a recruit said.

"Really? I heard his whole house burned down," another commented.

"Is the guy even still alive? Why would anyone even do that if they'd risk getting burned?" a female asked.

"I'd do it!" a large portion of men replied simultaneously.

"With the Blazing Heart? I'd do it with her as long as my manhood ain't melted off," another added.

"Please, with the tool you're packing you'd be melted long before you enter her. Or the room for that matter," a woman commented. The crowd melted into a fit of laughter as other men and women shook their head.

This was the humor Chung had been exposed to for the majority of the trip. Being around Elsword and the others had sheltered him somewhat from these kinds of conversations. Save for the hopeless romantic banter from Aisha and the rather salacious whispers between Raven and Rena when they thought they were beyond earshot of the others, Chung had been left uneducated when it came to talking about these things. It was nice. It was crude, but it was nice in how freely the men and women talked about copulation.

 _Copulation_? Actually he meant sex. That's what it was. No matter how Aisha tried to drill the proper scientific word into his head, he knew what she meant. And the conversations that went about here wasn't about copulation. It was about sex; the kind of talk that would make the purple-haired mage blush for a week.

Before the talks had started, much of the first day of sailing was filled with morbid silence. The kind where each passenger aboard the ferry knew that most of them would not return home. It was almost maddening, really. Mud helped change the mood by asking Chung to go on about another story he hadn't told him. Before long everyone was exchanging stories and by the end of the first night, the silence had all been lifted between the recruits.

"And you, Chung?" one of the female recruits asked. Syrel was her name. Flanked by two other beautiful women, she had quickly made her mark as "the hottest piece of ass on the ship" according to Roger. She was a woman who was three years older than him with curly brown locks and a buxom frame that she had no problem using to her advantage when around the male recruits. She had a forge-fire tanned complexion from years of working as a blacksmith and was recruited because of her skills with a hammer and anvil.

"And me, what?" Chung asked. Chung knew what she was getting at and he found himself to be an easy favorite for Syrel to tease.

"Would you, or rather,  _did_  you ever do it with the Blazing Heart? You've been around her for a year, after all."

Chung may have been the storyteller of the group but when talks careened towards more mature topics, as they often did around these people, he was at a loss for words.

"Ah, well, no I haven't ever done those sorts of things with her," the young prince stammered.

"Would you like to?" Syrel asked, "Surely the thought has crossed your mind." Her question garnered the attention of some of the others.

"Absolutely not! I mean, not that I don't want to. I mean… I absolutely have  _not_  thought about those things about her!"

"If not her then who?" the youngest male recruit asked. His name was Leo. The youngest in a family of seven sons, he answered the call to arms to prove his worth to his siblings and a father who saw him as nothing more than an extra mouth to feed on the table. He was a short young man with black hair long enough to be tied into a bun. Fair of skin and lank in frame, he was easily the youngest of the recruits. His papers said he was eighteen but a few speculate if he was even sixteen.

"What about Aisha?" Syrel prodded, "You did give her a 'fake' confession after all. Though I'm not entirely convinced it was completely made up. You spent a lot of time around her. Surely you two must have done things to help with all her… pent up frustration with that Elsword friend of yours. I know I'd ask you to, ain't that right girls?" The two women at her side-Frida and Useli-glanced at each other with a knowing smile.

"What? No! I never did anything like that with her," Chung exclaimed. The majority of the people still listening to the back and forth groaned in disappointment followed by a string of 'how's and 'why not's.

Syrel tilted her head, leaning forward to get a better look at the prince's now downcast eyes. "But surely you've thought about it, right?"

Chung hesitated. "No," he muttered.

This time the crowd erupted in a growing wave of jeers showing that they were clearly unconvinced by that answer.

"C'mon, Chung," Syrel said using a finger to lift his head by the chin, "We're all grown-ups here. You heard our little confessions. We just want to hear what the prince fantasizes about. Please? At least for us girls?"

Chung pulled his chin away from her finger, avoiding eye contact. He turned his eyes towards the crowd and saw that not only did Syrel, Frida, and Useli want to know, but the majority of the female recruits were curious, too.

"Well… Okay… yeah, I've fantasized about her before," he said in a soft mumble. As if their ears were fine tuned to pick up what they wanted to hear, the girls on the ferry squealed to each other and only drew closer.

"My hottest fantasy with Aisha would be..." Chung mumbled, face suddenly flush as he never even talked about this with Elsword, before.

Syrel smiled and turned to the other girls, "Ladies? Listen up." And just like that all ears at his immediate circle were turned towards him.

"Land, ho!" the voice of the captain called from the upper deck. "Land, ho!" The captain's boots could be heard hurrying down the stairs and he repeated it again to the recruits waiting in the lower deck. He paused, seeing as the majority of the women surrounding the prince were glaring at him as if he interrupted some important ritual.

The captain cleared his throat, "What? Did I interrupt your little sleep over? I want you all packed up and topside before we reach the docks. Get moving. This boat needs to be emptied and re-supplied for its next trip before sundown."

"You heard him," Chung said to an annoyed circle of female recruits. Having packed light, he simply slung his cannon over his shoulder and hurried after the captain up the stairs to the main deck.

"We'll continue this talk later, Chung," Syrel called after him.

The prince pretended not to hear her. He couldn't believe he was going to tell those people such lewd things! About his dear friend Aisha, as well. He wasn't sure if he should be ashamed of their forwardness or himself, at this point.

Roger and Mud were next to follow and as they reached the main deck they found the prince standing at the bow of the ferry next to the captain. The two were staring out at a distant ivory tower standing tall amidst a dense low fog. Platforming the tower was a ruined city half-submerged in the ocean tide. Foregrounding the tower was a wall of mountains that circled the bay.

As the ferry traveled south towards the landmass, a long white bridge could be seen spanning the water from the western edge of the sunken city towards the western-most tip of the bay. Towards the east, a similar bridge stood connecting the city to the eastern-most tip. Or rather, it  _had_  connected it at one point. Not even a third of the once massive bridge could be seen above the water's surface. If Chung remembered correctly, this bridge would have been the fastest path towards the Halls of Water. Assuming the Priestess of Water was still alive Chung had devised a plan of getting in contact with her and using her power to flood the land and flush out the Demons. That plan was skewed, now, with the state of the eastern bridge.

"This is Resiam," Chung said as he heard Roger and Mud behind him. "This was Hamel's main port city and was the lifeblood of the Senace kingdom. It was famous for its massive commercial and naval fleet. Doubling that of Velder's own commercial and naval boats."

"Double? Damn. I heard Hamel was all about their naval outfit but I didn't know they were that big of a deal," Roger said, leaning on the railing.

"It's pretty," Mud commented.

Chung sighed, "It looked a lot better when most of it wasn't underwater. This is a lot worse than I had anticipated…" His eyes scanned the sunken city and spotted several pillars of black smoke dotting the shore closest to them. "What are those?" Chung asked the captain.

"Funeral pyres," the captain said.

"What?" Chung counted at least thirty of them on the shore, "Why so many?"

The captain threw him a look as if he asked something completely stupid, "Why do you think? The beach isn't exactly the best place to bury the dead and can you imagine spending three days shipping bodies back to Velder? Could you even fathom the stench? Of course, this is all assuming they find the bodies in the first place."

"What do you mean  _if_  they find the bodies?"

"What you see there is a culmination of poor souls that were lucky enough not to be eaten whole or slashed… or beaten, or crushed beyond recognition. This is the worst I've seen in the years I've made this trip. Sometimes you'd see maybe a dozen of them. Sometimes none at all… but thirty? In one day, even? Something must have happened after we set sail six days ago… Lowe's going to be pissed with this month's turnout of new recruits."

"Will we be enough?" Roger asked, remembering how the recruits on board were only half of the original that stood at the dock.

"Dunno," the captain shrugged, "But the higher ups usually supplement the lack of manpower with mercenaries so a man shortage isn't anything new. I don't think I've seen the number of soldiers dip this low, though."

Roger grumbled, "Just think of the money, Mud. We survive this, we'll be millionaires."

"Is that more than… uh… one?"

"So much more than one, big fella."

"T… Two, even?"

"Yep!  _Much_  more than two."

Mud looked at his fingers and, after much consideration, held up three for Roger. "More than this many?"

The tall soldier smiled through gritted teeth. "You don't have enough fingers to count that high."

Mud's eyes widened as his inner gears began to work.

"So what's the plan from here?" Chung asked the captain.

"That's up to the commanding officers to decide. Hang on. This is something I should tell the others, so follow me."

The old man turned and left the bow of the ship with Chung in tow. A good number of recruits were packed and waiting to dock at this point in time. Most hadn't noticed the black smoke in the distance but the ones that did had no idea what they were looking at. Some were just happy to get off the cramped boat.

"Everyone, listen up! When we arrive, you folks will meet with the commander of this operation so it is imperative that you show him the utmost respect. You will file in and they will assign you your workstations if you've signed up to work a specific profession- like blacksmithing and whatnot. The rest of you are most likely going to go into immediate combat training to prepare you for the inevitable fight against the demon threat. Now I'd like to remind you that this isn't some vacation or escape from your kids or whatever. This is going to be hell. And if you survive, you will be rewarded handsomely. That being said, I'd prefer it if this would not be the last time I see your faces. Be safe out there and let me be the one to ferry you back home."

.

The recruits filed out of the ferry and were directed across a short stone bridge that connected the docking island with the Velder-controlled northern end of the Resiam. The funeral pyres lining the beach were dying out at this point and Chung could still see a large number of soldiers still surrounding each pyre. Hundreds had gathered to mourn the dead and paid little mind to the fresh bodies that had just arrived. The ones that did only gave them a sideways glance before returning their attention to the deceased.

Stepping through the gates of the encampment's wooden fortifications revealed a bustling stronghold with red tents stretching from the fallen eastern bridge all the way to the edge of the unsubmerged half of Resiam. With the other half submerged in the black sea, the city would have looked like a blood red half-moon on a murky night sky if Chung had seen it from above.

It was almost impossible for him to imagine that this kingdom used to be his home. The funeral pyres and the gloom of his arrival all evaporated as he took in the sight of Resiam. To see the aftermath of his home reignited his resolve once more and he mentally swore to himself that he would purge the demons infestation from his land once and for all. And after every single spawn of the otherworld had been vanquished, he would do everything he could to find his father and give him a proper burial… if he was dead.

As the son of the legendary King of Hamel, Chung found it difficult to believe that the man that he wanted to be when he grew up would be taken down by demons. He had never actually witnessed his father's death and somewhere deep down, he felt that his father was still alive-still fighting the scourge.

As they followed the ruined road that slowly descended towards the water, Chung noted the facilities that the encampment had. There was a small training grounds available, a stable that housed a number of cockatigles as well as a number of a certain exotic mount that he hadn't seen since his childhood: a hameling. Five of such beasts remained stabled in separate pens from the cockatigles and each one had their own separate handler.

Though not as big as standard dragons but big enough to occupy enough space in a stable that would normally hold two birds, these white-scaled, ice breathing flying lizards were known worldwide as the only tameable mount that was strong enough to carry a fully armed Hamel Knight into battle from the air. These miniature dragons were once only reserved for Senace Kingdom's small but elite Aerial Knights. Each hameling's lifespan could last several human generations and were often valued more than the soldier riding it. To be granted the wings of a Hameling was the highest honor of a Hamel Knight and was often a gift they would stay with until battle-or time-got the better of them. Chung had thought these beasts to have gone extinct during the invasion as they were a rare species to begin with. To see five of them in good health and in care of the Velder stablehands was a relief to the young prince.

Walking further into the encampment, Chung spotted a large square which was left largely unoccupied save for three people-two men and one woman-who appeared to be waiting for the new arrivals. All three didn't look too pleased to see them as the fifty or so men lined up in collumns of five before these three. Two of the officers seemed to be trying a bit too hard to hold a smile at the newcomers.

Chung, being the only one not in Velder uniform, immediately caught the eye of the three officers. He took front and center, closest to the officers and he was just within earshot to hear their back and forth exchanges.

"Did they run out of red for this guy to wear?" the female officer whispered to the eldest of the three, "I've never seen a weapon like that either. What is that? A giant totem or a hammer?" She was obviously talking about the cannon slung over Chung's shoulder and he threw her a knowing grin.

The eldest narrowed his eyes at the prince but said nothing and instead waited for the rest of the men and women to line up in front of them.

"This can't be all of them," Chung heard the younger male officer whisper to the other as the recruits filed in. He was fairly young compared to the other two. Possibly in his mid to late twenties with light brown hair and brown eyes. He wore red long sleeves, steel bracers and white and black pants; the standard Velder Soldier's uniform. Sheathed on his back was a familiar looking square-tipped blade Chung had seen Elsword handle during his early teens. Seeing as they dressed nearly identical he felt the two might be connected somehow.

"Sadly it's starting to look like it," the eldest said as he scanned the faces of each of the new intake. "None of them look like Red Knight material, either." Again his eyes fell onto Chung and a faint smile crossed his face. This one looked a fair bit older than the first. He had long dark brown hair and fiery red eyes that stood out more than the layers of plate he wore under the flowing red cape and tabard. He held a long blade etched in magical runes that hummed with energy in his hand.

"Does this mean we're going to have to hire even  _more_  mercenaries, now? This is starting to get ridiculous. I don't think half of our men are Velder-born anymore," the third one said. This one was female. A lot shorter than the other two but perhaps the most heavily armored. Wearing a full body of expensive looking plate armor complete with a blue cape and a decorative white mantle, the woman looked as if she were ready to either go to war or to a party. Chung figured both. She had soft blue hair tied into fancy hooped pigtails. Her eyes were a bright, almost magical hue of blue and there was a certain spark to her that indicated she was a lot more than a knight.

"We're still waiting for our last order of mercs to roll in, Noah. They should be here any day now," the youngest said to the female, still holding his more than obvious fake grin to the crowd coming in.

"That's what you said a few days ago, Lowe. Some of my men are still out there. Every day we wait for reinforcements is another day my Royal Guard have to fend for themselves. We don't even know if they're alive anymore! I say we take half of what we have now and storm the damned waterway  _now_!" Noah whispered to Lowe. She said all this through a smile as she looked over the recruits.

"It's too risky moving so many troops out like that. They'd sweep in and overrun the outskirts the second we leave," the one named Lowe whispered back, mirroring her grin a bit too hard. It was at this point that the two's quiet argument was beginning to catch some of the new recruits' attention.

"You are too passive, Lowe! These are Royal Guards we're talking about! Not some worthless soldier! Penensio, you agree, right? The sooner we act, the better."

The one named Penensio sighed. "Might I remind you two that we are here to get our new intake situated, not argue over the safety of your Royal Guard."

"But-" Noah started, dropping her mask and turning to the man.

"That is enough," Penensio said firmly. Out of the three, this man was the only one that seemed to be keeping his act together. His face remained stern as the two had argued but Noah's drop in rank finally seemed to test his patience.

The female officer fumed and left, leaving the two to greet the recruits. The two men waited until Noah disappeared into the large tent behind them before Lowe cleared his throat to speak.

"Uh… Greetings, everyone. Welcome to the beautiful kingdom of Senace," Lowe said, sarcasm all too obvious, "Now I'm not one for big speeches so I'll keep this short: because we are short staffed I will be your drill sergeant as well as your commanding field officer. You'll refer to me as Lowe. Some of you may know me as the former captain of the El Search Party that disbanded several years back. From here on out the majority of you will be reporting to me if you have any questions or concerns regarding your ability to hold a sword straight.

"The lovely lady that was here a moment ago is Captain Noah. She commands the chapter of Royal Guard assisting us on this front. If it wasn't obvious from our previous exchange, the Royal Guard are sort of a big deal… or so she claims... and are one of the strongest assets in our occupation of Hamel. I'll say this now, you do  _not_  want to get in the way of a Royal Guard for more reasons than one.

"The gentleman standing next to me is the Red Knight High Commander Penensio. You will refer to him as High Commander if you talk to him at all. For the most part he will be the one talking to you. Or rather he will be commanding you. Everything he says is law and you don't want to know what happens when you break his law."

With his speech done, Lowe stepped back, letting the High Commander take the stage. He looked over the recruits again and a glint of disappointment could be seen as he did so.

"Before I begin I must commend you all for your bravery. Having fought demons for well over half my life, I can tell you that it is still no easy feat to take down one of those spawns of hell. Whether it's for money, freedom, or for glory, your presence here is ultimately for the greater good of humanity as a whole. We are all in this fight together and I want you to remember that when death is staring you in the face-and believe me, you'll grow familiar with every aspect of that bastard's face by the time you leave… if you leave. The people standing next to you are now your brothers and sisters from here on out and I expect you to protect them as you would want them to protect you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ay, sir!" a number of the recruits responded.

Penensio didn't look too happy about the response but continued on anyways. "Training will begin shortly. I'm aware some of you have no battle experience but you'll have to make the most out of what Lowe will teach you because the enemy can strike at any moment. You might even expect to see some combat as soon as tomorrow if the gods of war are generous.

"Blacksmiths and doctors are in short supply as well so if you are not a soldier my advisor Denka will show you to your new work stations," Penensio said. He motioned behind him and an otter person stepped into view. Dressed in a blue scholarly uniform, the brown-furred humanoid stood as tall as Chung but had a much heavier build. Small reading glasses rested on his nose and he carried several scrolls tucked under his arm.

"Everyone else is to follow Lowe's orders. When training for the night is finished report to Denka and he'll assign you your quarters. As for you," Penensio pointed at Chung, "I want to speak with you privately. Lowe, I'll leave the rest to you."

The recruits all saluted the High Commander who returned the gesture before turning and leaving the rest to Denka and Lowe.

"Yes, High Commander?" Chung said, hurrying over to the man as he made his way to the large tent.

"Please, I should be the one addressing you by title, your majesty," Penensio said as he held the curtain open for Chung to step in.

The prince blinked, confused as to how he knew who he was right away but stepped in the tent before him. "How… did you…?"

"Know who you are? Please. I've known about you since the White Colossus carried you in his arms," Penensio said with a smile.

"The White Colossus…? You knew my father?" Chung was stunned to say the least. It had been so long since he heard his father's nickname that it took a while for him to understand what Penensio was talking about.

"Of course. I've known your father-for about twenty years, I believe. You were such a small boy back then. But my how you've grown. And here I thought the royal family had been killed during the initial invasion."

"I escaped. My father had me secretly escorted while he… held the demons back."

"As any good father would do for their child. I'm so sorry for your loss, your majesty,"

"Seiker is fine. I don't think I'll ever get used to being called that… And no need to apologize. It's the demons that should be saying that."

"If that is your wish, Seiker. Now… if you would indulge me, why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Noah butted in, "He's here to reclaim his kingdom and banish the demons from our plane of existence." The captain was sitting at the gigantic table where a large scouting map of the city had been laid out.

"Well, she isn't wrong," Chung said.

"I know who you are, Seiker. I was stationed in Velder during the Feita campaign and Velder invasion. I've heard of you and your El Search Party's involvement in all of them. Now that the demon scourge has been stopped in Lurensia, you're looking to push them out of Floane, too."

"So the rumors of a new El Search Party are true, then," Penensio said, rubbing his chin, "I suppose I was right in pulling you out of Lowe's basic training. From the sound of it you have plenty of experience under your belt."

Chung simply nodded.

"I won't waste your time with the basics then. By the way, you're part of the El Search Party… so where are your friends?"

"I… left them, High Commander," Chung said, "My journey here is personal and I don't want to put their lives at risk for my sake."

"That's admirable of you, Seiker. But the extra experienced bodies would have been nice," Penensio said, taking a seat at the head of the table, "I'm going to be honest with you: it's not looking good."

"What do you mean?" Chung asked.

Penensio leaned forward, motioning at the map laid before the prince.

The map was large enough to cover the whole table and the table could easily seat a party of fifteen or more. Black wooden demon figurines were placed all over the map. A red knight figurine as well as a blue knight and a green knight all dotted smaller parts of the map. Chung noted how the black figurines greatly outnumbered the red and occupied everything beyond the ancient waterway, the bridge and the sunken half of Resiam. Three green figurines, a red, and a blue occupied the outskirts of the Resiam while one lone blue figure sat isolated at the ancient waterway.

"The red are troops I directly command: the Red Knights. Noah's Royal Guard are represented by the blue and Velder soldiers are green. We occupy the northern end of Resiam as seen here… and a stronghold here at the other end of the eastern bridge."

Chung scanned the layout of the figures, "Why is the blue isolated?"

Penensio seemed to struggle to find the words as he and Noah looked at each other. The mage sat up from her chair and explained, "About two months ago there was an abnormal surge of demonic power. My Royal Guard were able to pick up on this abnormality and responded by bolstering our forward stronghold here at the entrance to the ancient waterway." Noah held a magical staff and used it as a pointing stick. With much effort, she reached over the map with it and tapped the blue figurine with the tip of the staff.

"Before then we had control of everything from the outskirts to the waterway." Noah traced the staff along the bridge and over the black figures occupying the sunken Resiam.

"Unfortunately we weren't expecting them to attack us from the water." She moved her staff over to the channel of water that rested between Resiam and the Floune mainland. "A massive tidal wave hit the western end of Resiam flooding the majority of it and knocking out our defensive outposts. What followed was a series of attacks on our weakened defenses that left us with no choice but to retreat back towards the docks. I suspect the tidal wave was due to the demon's influence on the Water El Stone."

"They're using the Water El Stone against us?"

"That seems to be the reason why they invaded Hamel. This was the first time we've been hit by the stone's power and it was absolutely devastating. I'd hate to imagine what a second attack would be like," Noah said.

"When would that be?"

"We don't know," Penensio replied, "But of the five years I've fought against them, this was the only time they've successfully used it. Either this is an outlying anomaly or they've figured out how to harness its power and are gathering the energy needed to mount another attack."

"Meanwhile," Noah interrupted, "My men are still stranded on the other side of the bridge. They've been fighting for a month. At least I'd like to think they still are…"

"Communication with them has ceased since the attack. But Noah has faith in her Royal Guard's survivability and believes they're still alive," Penensio said, "If it's true then it's imperative we secure a supply line to them or get them out alive. The only problem is how. As much as I'd like to rescue them, Lowe is right to be concerned about sending too many troops out in case the enemy is waiting to use the stone again while we're spread thin. If we send half our troops as Noah suggested we will be going all-in on the hope that they won't try to drown half our men in one fell swoop."

Noah sat up, slamming a fist down on the table, "Yet the longer we wait, the less likely the Royal Guard will be able to hold their own out there. We have to do something High Commander."

Penensio rubbed his chin as he looked over the map. "The next wave of mercenaries should be coming soon, though," he said, getting an agitated grumble from Noah.

"That's what Lowe's been saying for the whole week!"

"It will be worth it, Noah. We've spent a good deal of our war funds on this 'full package' deal. They promised they would assist us for this push and I'd like for us to be good and ready should, er-when we run into resistance. I say we wait for two more days. Get our new recruits trained. If they're not here by then, then we move out."

"Two days," Noah repeated through gritted teeth, "You have two days then we're sending half the men-"

"Not half. A platoon."

"A platoon?! They won't survive the trip."

"A smaller, highly mobile unit is better than a large army in this scenario. We don't even know if your Royal Guard are still alive. If we send half our men there and there's no one to rescue, what happens then? If we send a few men out we can assess the situation on the waterway and act accordingly."

Noah and Penensio seemed to be up in arms as they stared each other down. Noah remembered her place however as she slowly backed down. "Two days," she said, "Two days then we send a rescue team."

"I'm glad you're seeing things my way," Penensio said.

Noah merely grunted at that and the High Commander turned to the prince. "So. How about a grand tour?"

"Uh… I'd like that," Chung replied, seeing as the tension was getting a little too thick for him to stand.

"I would, too," Penensio, showing the prince the door, "Captain, if you would please show Seiker around, I must assess the new intake's capabilities."

"You're not going to show me around?" Chung asked as Noah seemed a bit peeved by the request, shoving her chair back as she stood and stomping out of the tent with staff in hand.

"She needs to cool off so a walk will do her good and as much as I'd like to clear my own head and walk the grounds, I have matters that demand my attention. We'll speak, again, Seiker."

Chung saluted him, "Yes, High Commander."

The prince exited the tent and found the heavily armored captain tapping her foot impatiently.

"The uh… High Commander said you needed to cool off, Noah," Chung said.

The look of impatience across Noah's face quickly turned to anger and she pressed an accusatory finger on his chest as she spoke, "Listen, new blood, you may be friends with the High Commander but I am still your captain. I don't care if you're the king of Elrios. If I'm your ranking officer, you will address me as such, are we clear?"

"Yes… Captain," Chung muttered.

Noah leaned forward, "What? I can't hear you."

"Yes, captain!"

Noah spun around in a huff. "Telling me to cool off. I'll show him cool. I'll freeze him till his face is black and blue," she muttered as he led Chung past where Lowe and the new recruits were being trained. "This is where we usually hold announcements. It used to be a bigger square but that was flooded so everyone has to cram into this smaller one. When you hear the bell ring three times they're calling an assembly so everyone has to pack in here. Again, there isn't much room so expect to get really friendly with others if you want to hear what we have to say."

Even though the group of recruits had been smaller than previous intakes, the square was already quite crowded with them spaced apart doing practice swings under Lowe's care. Chung could easily spot Roger and Mud in the middle. It wasn't hard to miss a tall, lanky man next to a square short man and from the look of it, Roger wasn't too happy with having to go through basic training again. Mud on the other hand looked like he was having the time of his life. Each time Lowe shouted the group would respond. Mud was the loudest and was laughing the entire time. Despite his lack of intellect, Mud swung with enough precision to be passable in the eyes of Lowe. Either that or the man quickly understood Mud's situation and was being lenient.

Mud spotted Chung and waved at him, bearing that goofy smile as the rest of the group continued their basics exercise. The prince forced a smile on his face and returned the wave only to realize Noah had already moved on to the next part of the tour.

They snaked through a thin path walled by red tents to another, clearing where the stables were. "These are our stables. We have roughly a hundred or so mounted birds and five Hamelings. Don't expect to be given any. These are strictly for transportation purposes since we have so few."

"A hundred is a lot," Chung said.

"Not if you have two thousand-ish soldiers and carts that need moving. We used to have a mounted cavalry, but…"

"The flood?"

"That definitely finished our cavalry off but we were losing them through normal combat operations."

"What about the Hamelings?"

"No one rides them. No one knows how to control them. These tiny dragons may be beasts of war but they're smart and it's hard to earn their trust especially if we're from Velder… Probably due to the war we had with you and your nation not too long ago. If their lifespan is as long as Denka says, then they clearly remember who we are."

"I never heard much about this war…" Chung said.

Noah chuckled, "That's because your nation lost." She threw him a smug grin and continued walking through the forest of tents.

Chung wanted to say something to her but relented, remembering his rank and simply following her to the next point of interest.

They reached the triage tent: a large white shelter bearing a red cross. The smell of blood was strong here and Chung and Noah had to cover their noses from the stench. The place was overflowing with injured soldiers. Some were even deceased, set aside in a corner probably for the next funeral-whenever that would be.

"What happened to them?"

"Well, the only two things that really kill people here are demons and your wonderful native wildlife. Judging by their injuries, though, it'd have to be the former," Noah waved the stench from her nose as he quickly left the area.

"Native wildlife?"

"Yeah! The demons have control of the Water El stone and they corrupted the waters to the point that it mutated some of the local fauna. You know the Hamel angler?"

"Yes. They're a Senace delicacy," Chung said. He remembered that was one of his favorite dishes served only on special occasions.

"Well now we're the delicacy. Especially for big blue," Noah said, leading him up to the wooden wall battlements.

"Big blue?"

"Just… hope you don't run into him. Or rather, swim into him," Noah waved dismissively. They continued for some time along the wooden path. She stood on the battlements of the western-most wall bordering the edge of the Velder-controlled outskirts of Resiam.

"This is Elim's wave. You can see all of Resiam all the way up to the bridge way over there in the distance. From here it's a straight shot to the western bridge, assuming there aren't any fauna to force us to go around." She pointed far ahead. A wide off-white dilapidated bridge just high enough not to be submerged in water was paved from the entrance of the outskirts and cut across the city to the western bridge. Spots of this bridge were submerged in the high tide and large holes in the structure could easily be seen by the contrast of black murky water under it.

"To think that all this used to be under our control not too long ago… We lost most of our men to the flood and even more with the follow up demon attacks. We would've had to make a full retreat had the High Commander not rallied our troops to push back."

"How'd you all manage to hold them off?"

"With pure grit," Noah said, looking at Chung at the corner of her eye, "We all wanted to run. Some of us were already on the boats ready to set sail out of here but High Commander... He and the former High Commander took up arms, mounted their birds and charged. Just the two of them. Head on against a whole army of those monsters. They grabbed any able bodied soldier along the way and dragged them to the fight. And the more they fought, the more we were convinced to turn around and join them. Even when the former High Commander lay dead on the floor, Penensio continued to fight.

"I remember what Penensio said, too, when High Commander fell. 'Remember your families. Remember we are the wall protecting them from these beasts. Fight for their sake. Fight so they will remember us as the heroes they know us to be."

Noah was silent for a long moment, spectral blue eyes watching the sun disappear behind the mountain range far in the distance. "It was a miracle that we even held. But I guess all it takes to bring the best out of people are a few inspiring words, right?" She sighed, turning and leaning against the battlement. "Three bells are calling for an assembly. A continuous bell toll means an attack is imminent and all able bodies are to report to the walls. Two bells toll for the all clear. And one… is for the funeral."

"How often do you hear the last one?" Chung said.

Noah sighed again. "Used to be at most, once a week. Now it's about every other day. They like to pile a good amount of bodies before holding one. As cruel as that sounds that's just the reality of it, nowadays."

"Every other day…?" Chung couldn't believe that. Was life on this side of the ocean that difficult?

Noah nodded. "It's a good thing you didn't bring your friends. I've gone through that hell more often than I'd like during my stay here. Just try not to get too close to anyone. It makes everything hurt less."

Chung gave an uneasy laugh as his thoughts immediately went to Roger and Mud. Even Syrel, Leo, Frida, and Useli came to mind.

"Was I too late to say that? Well that can't be helped. The first time you lose someone is the most painful, usually," Noah said with a half-hearted shrug.

"I won't let that happen," Chung said.

"Let what happen? Getting too close to others?"

"No. I won't let my friends get hurt."

Noah gave a single loud laugh. "And now you understand  _me_. You know  _my_  friends? They're the ones stuck on the other side of that bridge. My Royal Guard. My brothers and sisters. And yet look what we're doing. I'm giving a newbie a gods damned tour while my closest friends are… are still fighting. I want to do everything I can to make sure they get back safely but Penensio and Lowe? They have friends  _here_  on this side of the bridge. They have  _their_  priorities, too. Mine just doesn't weigh as much as theirs. And as much as it hurts me to admit it, they're right. My friends… aren't as important," Noah shook her head slowly at him, "It's impossible, Seiker. You can do the best you can for others. But in the end, sacrifices are going to be made. That's what everyone on this island has come to terms with. I just hope it's something you come to terms with, too."

.

She was wrong. She had to be. As long as he fought harder to protect his friends he can ensure their safety. It was his job as a guardian, after all. The more he thought about it, however, the harder it became to deny the truth in it. Chung shuffled into the new intake bunking area-which was more of a circle of several large tents around a bonfire-and saw the large majority of the tents were left vacant. Of course they would. Their intake was a lot smaller than the usual shipment of bodies.

"Chung! Here!" he heard a voice call.

Third from the right-most tent a hand waved. Mud's square mug could easily be picked out from the mess of people moving in and out of the other tents.

"Hey, big guy. How are you?"

"Tired," Mud answered as Chung approached, "Boss is t-tired, too." He motioned in the tent to see Roger laying flat on his back, splayed out on a wooden frame bed with nothing but straw for a mattress.

"Hey, kid," Roger said, staring up at the underside of the top bunk. "I saved the top bunk for you since I couldn't be bothered to climb up there right now. My legs are killing me."

"Basic training was that bad?"

"That Lowe guy's training was, sure. Never knew swinging the sword with your arm required so much leg motion. And let me tell you, that Lowe guy's  _all_  about form."

"It was fun," Mud added, "Mud thinked that throat will be sore from all t-the shoutings Lowe wanted."

"I heard you, Mud. You were the loudest of them all," Chung said, getting a goofy chuckle from the oaf. Chung set his cannon down and began unbuckling his armor pieces. "I wouldn't know. Never swung a sword. But I guess swinging around a cannon takes a lot of leg muscle, too. Otherwise you'd throw out your back."

Roger grunted. "Yeah, we all saw you walk out with that woman, though. What were you two doing running off leaving the rest of us to sweat?"

"She got in a heated argument with High Commander. So he sent her for a walk to cool off and give me a tour of the camp while she was at it."

"Yeah? So what, you best friends with the officers now?"

"I wouldn't say that. But High Commander knew my dad."

"Yeah? You never talked about your old man. He's a king right?"

"That's because you guys never asked. And yes, he is the king of Hamel."

"Was," Roger corrected, getting a sideways glance and a pause from Chung. The simple motion was enough for Roger to silently rescind that comment.

"I never saw him die. Part of me wants to believe he's still alive."

"Didn't Penis-whatever his name is tell you about him?"

Chung shook his head. "Just that he knew him when I was little. I suppose I should've asked him, huh?"

"If you're alright with the truth, yeah," Roger said.

Chung silently climbed to the top bunk.

"What else did they talk about in that tent?"

"Uh… something about two days. They'll wait until reinforcements arrive… They want to retake some land that kind of thing." Chung kicked back on the straw matt. It wasn't much but it was better than the sleeping on the hardwood floor on the boat.

"Are me and Mud gonna be fighting in this?" Roger asked.

That was an excellent question. A question that reminded Chung of Noah, again. "Maybe."

"Damn," Roger mumbled, "will you be fighting with us?"

"I don't know. I hope so," Chung said. As much trouble as Roger had been, Chung couldn't deny that he had grown attached to the man and his square friend. For his sake, and for everyone else's, he hoped the mission two days from now would go smoothly. "I hope so."


	8. Just Across the Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Velder Army was far more established than Chung had thought but the current situation has them in dire straits. The objective is clear: rescue the men and women trapped in the Ancient waterway across the western bridge. With a small battalion of troops at his back, Chung is tasked with securing a supply line across the sunken Resiam and hopefully find survivors trapped across the bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the first of many long action scenes in the story. Hope you enjoy reading! :3

Three times the bell tolled. Of the two days Chung had spent getting used to his surroundings, scouting the perimeter, and meeting the officers, this was the first time he had heard the bell ring. It was a low, booming ring akin to the largest bell from the largest church and each sounding gong echoed throughout the entirety of the camp.

The men and women of the camp hurried to the largest square, trying to get in before they would be forced to listen from outside the surrounding tents. Chung was surprised to see such a quick response, as well. In a matter of minutes the once empty square was filled to the brim with red-garbed soldiers.

Fortunately for the prince he was already in the square when the bell began to toll. Having met the native Denka the first day of arrival he figured the best way to get information about the current situation was through the advisor. They were just about to get into the history of the battles which he recorded in one of his many scrolls when the assembly was called.

Front and center Chung stood among the crowd as they pushed inward trying to fit as many people into the square as Denka, Penensio, Lowe, and Noah stood atop a wooden stage. A sketch of the map had been drawn on a large board for the rest to see and arrows moving from the outskirts to the ancient waterway had been drawn with red ink.

The crowd fell silent as Penensio cleared his throat and took the stage. "As all of you may be aware, our mercenary reinforcements have not arrived yet and we are not in a position to mount any effective counter offensive to reclaim Resiam. However," the High Commander slapped a palm on the board, "we believe there are still men trapped in the ancient waterway. Yes we are aware it has been a month since we heard from them. Yes, it is likely that no one survived but that does not mean that the ancient waterway is a lost cause.

"By regaining control of the waterway we will have access to the bridge and an effective forward base directly inside enemy territory. Our objective is simple: assess the situation at the waterway, secure the bridge, and re-establish our supply line to begin refortification of our old stronghold. Denka will go over the details."

The High Commander stepped aside, letting the otter-man take the stage. Denka took a moment and looked over the thousands of faces and turned to the board. "We are going to divide our operation into three phases: the scouting phase, the securing phase, and the refortification phase. Each phase will be headed by Captain Noah, Sergeant Lowe, and me respectively.

"The scouting phase will consist of a singular platoon of hand picked individuals and will begin at noon. Now although there are no signs of activity from the waterway, we cannot throw out the possibility that some of our men may be alive in there. To compensate for that possibility those who are part of the scouting phase will be escorting a small convoy of food and supplies.

"Upon arrival at the destination the scouting party is to assess the situation and fire off a smoke signal. Ehm… Prince Seiker, if you don't mind, shortly after you arrived I've tasked our blacksmiths in producing parts that would alter your cannon's functionality. The parts should be ready now and you'll be using this as a means to break through any fortification blockade should the need arise. That being said, it is imperative that his majesty gets there alive. Or at least his cannon but, uh… how much did you say it weighed, again?"

"About as much as two full-grown men," Chung said, patting the handle of the cannon slung on his shoulder.

"Yes… so it would be advantageous that he survive the trip to operate the mechanism."

"Question!" a soldier said, raising his hand.

"Yes? Go ahead."

"Wouldn't it be easier to supply the scouting party with explosives, instead?"

"Supply is short," Denka said, adjusting his glasses, "And taking the thickness of the fortified walls at the waterway into consideration, it would mean shipping at least a cart load of nitroglycerin for every wall you are to breach. Considering the dangers you would face getting from the outskirts to the waterway, a single one-man-operated cannon will have to suffice… Any further questions?"

None raised their hands and the otter continued.

"Upon arrival, you are to assess the situation. Squad leaders will be equipped with smoke rounds of different colors and they are to use them as a means to quickly relay status updates to our base of operations.

"A green smoke trail indicates everything is going as planned. We expect to see these upon reaching the junction at the start of the western bridge and when reaching the gates to the waterway. White smoke will indicate you've met resistance. Red smoke will be an immediate call for reinforcements. We cannot spare much so only use this when the situation calls for it. Black smoke is only to be used when the mission is a failure.

"To help us track your progress, the green smokes are to be used upon reaching the bridge and the gates of the ancient waterway. Once we see the second green we'll begin phase two of the operation with Lowe and his men and form a secure supply line leading to the waterway."

Another hand was raised. "What can we expect to run into?"

Denka adjusted his glasses as he looked just as clueless as the rest. "Frankly speaking, I don't know. The majority of you have fought the demon threat before and I suspect the demons to be all the same: ferocious, bloodthirsty beasts. For the newer intake I recommend you speak to the other soldiers and they can fill you in on what to expect but unfortunately I am not as well versed in combat as you all are. Now, while we're on the topic of phase one, I'll let Captain Noah select her platoon before moving on to details on phase two."

Denka stepped down from the stage, letting Noah take the spotlight.

She scanned the faces, none too pleased at her options and sighed. She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her breastplate and began reading down the list. "These are my choices for this platoon. Even though I insisted I take the best Velder had to offer, High Commander was right in reserving some for phase two… so I spent the past day and a half assessing each of your capabilities... That being said… obviously I'm taking the remaining two Royal Guardsmen."

Two men dressed in full plate pushed themselves to the front. Each were tall and were almost as equally decorated in well-polished steel and flowing blue capes as their captain. Both were equipped with jeweled maces and thick kite shields bearing the blue wings and flower of the Royal Guard. The two said nothing and made their way passed the stage towards the back corner of the square that led out to the stables.

"When I call your names, meet with my men and we'll get this operation going. First: squad leaders…" Noah began firing off names of people Chung had never heard of before. Yet each one that was called looked as trained and battle-scarred as the last. These men and women had clearly been here for some time.

"Next, Prince Seiker, of course. But we'll meet you at the gate to Elim's wave. You're to report to Horatio and get those modifications installed. We deploy within the hour so get moving," Noah said, not taking her eyes off her list. She began firing more names off as Chung stood and pushed his way out of the square towards the crafter's section of the camp. As he made his way through the masses his ears were trained to the increasingly softer call outs from the captain.

"Roger… Mud… Leo." was all he had to hear to know that his fears were coming true. This was his first mission on Hamel and he already had to keep a lookout for those three's safety.

An old man sat at a workbench hammering away at a damaged blade when Chung arrived. He wore no shirt, a blue headband and blue overalls rolled at the hips. His short white beard was filthy from soot and his thick eyebrows were soaked with sweat. Despite his age, his body was very well toned and muscular. This was Horatio. One of the few surviving Hamelians that still lived in the city with Denka.

Behind him, amidst the blasting heat of the large forge were two familiar faces clad in black leather aprons and fire resistant red tops. Syrel was the easiest to pick out with her buxom frame still visible through the thick clothes and Frida was close by, long black hair tied into a tight knot as she pulled a red hot blade shaft out of the forge and set it on an anvil for another blacksmith to begin working on.

"Can I help you?" Horatio said in a rough shaky voice as he hammered the layers of steel together.

"Chung?" he heard Syrel call as she removed her forging goggles, a clear line of soot was drawn where her goggles had been. "Well, there's my innocent little boyfriend," she said, beaming at him, "What kind of trouble you getting yourself into, now?" she attempted to wipe the sweat off her forehead only to smear more of the grime on her face.

He smiled. Even while she was working she was still as flirtatious as ever. "I'm your boyfriend, now?"

Syrel leaned over the workbench separating her from the prince, "Well you certainly ain't Aisha's. Want to make it official? You can tell me about your fantasies and I'll do my best to fulfill them," she said in a hot whisper.

"Syrel," Horatio grumbled, "For the hundredth time, please focus on your work. We're behind schedule as it is…"

"Sorry, Horatio," the woman said, running a gloved hand tenderly over the old man's muscular tricep, "I just can't help myself, sometimes."

"I take it you've kept her busy?" Chung asked the old man.

"Busy? If anything she's been keeping our crew busy. I don't think I've ever seen my smiths work this slow now that she's around distracting them. She can pull her weight in her craftsmanship but I'd do without the whoring of her body. Now what did you want, young man? I'm busy filling out orders."

Syrel seemed a bit hurt by the comment but covered it with a smile as she gave the prince a wink.

"I'm here for the modifications Denka ordered for my cannon," Chung said as he unslung the destroyer and set it in front of him.

"Ah… so you're the prince. Prince Seiker! Forgive my rudeness, your majesty. I had no idea-"

Chung raised his hand to stop him, "Don't worry about it, Horatio. I'd rather people treat me as a normal person. So can I have the modifications installed?"

"Of course, your majesty. Here…" He leaned over the workbench, feeling for the cannon as he couldn't quite see through the thick eyebrows that drooped over his eyes.

"Oh, here, let me-" Chung offered to help lift the weapon up but was surprised to see the old blacksmith grip the handle and lift it onto the workbench as easily as the prince would have. He watched with his jaw dropped as the old man disassembled the weapon piece by piece faster than Chung ever had.

"What?" Horatio asked after finishing the disassembly process in half the time it took for Chung, "Never seen a Hamel blacksmith work before? I must have put together over a thousand of these back in my prime… Syrel? Frida? Are those parts ready?"

The two female blacksmiths lugged over two heavy bucket loads of parts and, with much effort, lifted the large buckets onto the workbench. Horatio gutted the cannon as they worked and upon their presentation he pulled several pieces and inspected them closely.

"Can't expect you two to get it right the first time. But this is far better than what the others have produced," he said, taking a wire sponge and scrubbing the corner of the piece.

He did this for each piece: inspecting, criticizing, and adjusting, all before installing the new parts in the cannon's chamber.

"So what exactly do these modifications do?" It took a little more than half an hour for the blacksmith to put the cannon together but as he was finishing up Chung couldn't help but ask.

Horatio snapped the outer frame into place and began hand screwing the bolts in. "The magnets I've installed should increase round velocity enough to send a slug through thicker walls."

"A slug?"

"Aye. A solid metal round, your majesty. I've altered the mechanism that turned your El energy into warheads. Now you also have the ability to create a penetrating round built to punch through walls. I call it the 'Heavy Railgun'. It uses up about the equivalent of three normal warheads so keep your ammo count and El in mind."

"This is incredible!" Chung said as picked the cannon up off the table. It was slightly heavier than before as he expected with the additional parts.

Horatio smiled, "This isn't anything new. I used to do this sort of thing all the time. Come back when you have more time and I'll show you the kinds of stuff real Hamel Knights get to play with."

"I will!" Chung replied excitedly. He slung the cannon on his shoulder again and bid the old man farewell.

"Come back safe, you hear?" he heard Syrel call and he nodded at her, backing up into the crowd as he waved.

* * *

Chung looked back at the fortified wooden walls to see Penensio saluting the men and women embarking on their journey. The prince nodded and returned the salute before taking his seat next to Noah. With a flick of the reins, Noah guided the cart to the front of the platoon, commencing their journey to the ancient waterway.

"Ugh, looks like it's going to rain," Noah whined as she stared off at the horizon. Dark clouds gathered from the south and Chung could already see heavy rain cresting the southern mountains. "Let's move, people! I'd like to get to the waterway before we're soaked to the bone."

There were ten large carts in all. Each were pulled by a single cockatigle and were large enough to carry four men and supplies ranging from food to munitions. Noah, Leo, and one of Noah's Royal Guard rode along with Chung while Mud and Roger rode on a different one. The second Royal Guard manned the rear with another three soldiers.

The partially submerged bridge they traveled on was just high enough to stay above water during Hamel's high tide. Waves licked at the edges of the wide off-white bridge while uneven segments of the road dipped about knee-deep into sea water. As dilapidated as the road was, it was the only way to get to the bridge without having to swim.

They continued along the path with the only resistance being a large wave crashing against the railing every now and then. They were surrounded by ruined towers that once stood proudly as a splendor of the nation's wealth. Now the once-white buildings were caked green with algae; their walls cracked and riddled with scars of a war fought years ago.

Chung remembered how the island city was once his favorite place to visit. It was much more interesting than the castle walls he was confined in and he loved the bustling streets Resiam always had. Never had he imagined that this was what it would look like only five years later. He wondered how many people actually died on the drowned streets below him. How many citizens as well as soldiers were slain by the demon scourge.

"I actually didn't expect you to put newcomers in the scouting party," Chung said, looking back over the faces of each of the thirty nine other soldiers journeying with him. Each face was stricken with a look of pensiveness that only made the air heavy around the entire group.

"I didn't expect to either," Noah snorted, "But Denka insisted that we should all use the new recruits equally as each phase is just as important as the other. With our size I was to pick at least three."

"Aren't there four of us?" Chung asked, counting it in his head.

Noah glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "If you consider yourself as a new recruit then I'm turning this cart around and swapping Babbles-a-lot for someone more experienced.

"Babbles-a-lot?" Chung tilted his head in confusion and the captain discreetly motioned towards Leo sitting in the far back.

He hadn't noticed at all until Noah pointed it out but Leo seemed to be lost in thought. Curled up in a ball with his legs up to his chest, his knuckles were white as bone as he gripped the handle of his sheathed blade. The soldier was muttering on and on about something.

"He's been like that since he was carried onto the cart. Yes. He was carried. He wouldn't budge when we finished loading up. Didn't expect anyone to get cold feet so early into the mission… but I guess I drew the short stick picking him up," Noah said with an annoyed sigh.

"I'll talk to him," Chung said, getting up and moving to the back of the cart. He regarded the Royal Guard sitting just behind them and the guard merely eyed him through the thick helmet he wore.

"Hey," Chung whispered, patting Leo on the shoulder and taking a seat next to him. The young soldier glanced at him momentarily before returning to his rocking and muttering.

"You alright, Leo?" the prince asked. He leaned forward as he tried to listen for a response.

He was still muttering and as Chung leaned in closer he could barely make out what he was saying. "Striders… lightly armored...-T-the legs. Aim for the legs… C-Crushers are… b-big and have a tough… hide… aim for their chest… S-snipers… snipers have no armor… aim for-"

"Leo! Hey, get a hold of yourself!"

"N-No! No I don't want to die! Send me back! Send! Me! Back!" the young soldier was hysterical and would have attempted to jump off the cart had Chung not taken the initiative and held him down. His voice echoed through the ruins as he tried to wrestle his way free. On and on he begged for him to be sent back, each cry louder and more desperate than the last.

"Leo, would you please shut up! You're embarrassing yourself! Think of your brothers. Are you going to come home empty handed? Aren't you going to prove that you're not worthless to your father?"

"I'm worth nothing!" he cried, "I'm worthless, just please send me back!"

"He's lost it," Noah sighed. She nodded at her guard and he stood, the weight of his mace shifting as he gripped it with both hands.

"Wait… what are you doing?" Chung asked, putting himself between Leo and the Royal Guard. All the while, the poor kid under Chung thrashed about like a possessed chicken.

"Do you expect me to bring this kid with us all the way across the bridge unnoticed? Might I remind you, we have lives depending on the success of this mission and if he's going to ruin it, then I say nip the problem at the bud before-"

Above the kid's screams a low, ghastly wail echoed all around the party. Even the cockatigles stopped, raising their heads in high alert as the low moan ended in a high pitched shriek. To Chung it sounded like they were inside the belly of a dying whale as the sound echoed through the ruins.

Leo had stopped screaming. Even he was aware of what he might have done as he completely stopped struggling and stared up at the dark clouds above them. Everyone was silent save for yet another ghostly call from the unknown source.

"What is that?" Chung whispered, letting go of Leo's arms as he looked over at the waters surrounding them. Glancing over at Noah he saw the captain stare off in the distance. He followed her gaze to a point in between two tall towers where one was leaning over the other. Among the calm waters, Chung strained his eyes through the drops of rain that began to fall.

At the base, just cresting the water's surface, was the body of a large serpentine creature. Only the scales and sharp spines could be seen breaking the surface as the impossibly long body seemed to continue on for an eternity before the gigantic tail splashed upward and dove back into the murky depths.

"What is that?" Chung asked again, voice shaking as Noah flicked the reins.

"Big blue," Noah growled, "Everyone, keep moving. The sooner we get to the western bridge the better-"

A gigantic pillar of water erupted at the tail end of the caravan sending a veil of white sea spray higher than the buildings surrounding them. The explosion itself was so loud that a symphony of shattering glass could be heard from the surrounding buildings. The road itself violently shook as the white pillar of water slowly faded into a fine mist. The only thing Chung could see was the tail slapping the edge of the guardrail.

"It got one of us! It got one!" shouted the back of the caravan. The soldiers closest to the impact were soaked to the bone and were completely thrown off their vehicle.

Chung quickly did a head count and, to his horror, found only nine of the ten carts remaining. "Pick up what you can, we have to get out of here," he shouted.

Still shell shocked from the initial ambush, the soldiers who were off their vehicle quickly tried to gather what they could on the ground while the others hopped off to help flip their overturned car.

Noah stood. "Leave it! Keep moving! Don't let it circle back-"

Another explosion of water and the overturned cart, along with the handful of men assisting it, disappeared in the white mist. Again, the tail was the only thing visible as it slapped the railing on the opposite end.

"Move! Move, dammit! Move!" Noah shouted. Chung's car jolted as the bird started on a sprint and each of the remaining eight followed closely behind. The low wail could be heard all around them as everyone rushed through the sunken city as quickly as possible.

Chung scanned the faces, looking for Roger and Mud among the panicked soldiers. No sooner had he spotted them towards the front did another pillar of water erupted behind them. This time the prince had a full view of what stalked them. Large pectoral fins that extended past the width of the bridge flanked a mouth wide enough to swallow a small boat. It was a coral serpent! Noah was right: whatever dark energies corrupted these waters had drastically mutated this beast.

It dove back in the water, having missed its prey and the remaining carts hurried down the road as quickly as each bird could take them. The rain had begun to pick up as the distant storm edged closer over Hamel.

Chung stood, hefting the cannon that rested on the car bed and loaded a metal slug into the chamber. He could feel a large portion of his own El energy get sucked into the mechanism as he did so. His eyes trained towards the beast's spine as he could just barely pick it out from the rough waters.

"What are you doing?" Noah asked, swerving around a large hole on the road.

"If I can get a clear shot at it, I think I can get rid of it," Chung said, taking a siege stance.

"Fine, just don't miss. We've drawn enough attention as is!"

Another burst of water and the giant serpent clipped the end of the tailing car, completely obliterating the axle and throwing the men and women off their car. It hissed at the soldiers and thrusted its maw downward, tossing one of the the poor souls up in the air and swallowing him whole.

Chung pulled the trigger and the sheer recoil from the blast knocked the cart forward as the bright blue round was sent sailing clear over the serpent's head. The round cut through the sky, drawing a blue stream for all to see.

"You missed!" Noah yelled.

"No shit."

"I told you not to miss!"

"I wasn't expecting the recoil! I'll just fire it, again…" he pulled the lever but his hands burned from the red hot metal.

The shot did not go unignored, either as Big Blue set its eyes on the lead car. It dove back into the waters and before the lead car realized it, the serpent emerged to their immediate right.

"Turn!" Chung yelled as Noah pulled left on the reins, sending the car dangerously close to the edge. The entire bridge shook as the jaws collided with stone, narrowly missing their intended target. The other carts rounded the beast's head while the prince drew his silver shooters and fired wildly into it.

Each magical round broke through the thick scales but didn't penetrate as deeply as each shot only seemed to make Big Blue angrier. It lifted its head, hissing at the lead car before diving back into the water.

"You going to use that cannon again, or what?" Noah asked.

"It's overheated! Hold on…" he gripped the lever and loaded another slug. Taking the siege stance he waited. And waited. And waited.

"We're almost at the bridge," the captain yelled, loading a white smoke grenade. "Should at least let them know we made it."

She fired the round and it cut a streak of white cloud into the air.

Chung remained unmoved, poised and ready for the serpent to surface.

Seven cars, he counted. Seven left of the initial ten. All of the men were on high alert. Their crossbows were loaded and swords were drawn.

The caravan thundered into the edge of the Sunken Resiam. A junction at the bridge was more than a welcome sight as the open waters lay between them and the waterway.

"How you doing, Leo?" Chung asked, remembering the boy was still alive. Looking about the car bed he found Leo tucked between supply crates in a fetal position. "Hang on. We're about halfway there. Hang in there, okay?"

"Your majesty," the Royal guard caught his attention as he pointed ahead towards the oncoming junction. Something-or rather, several things-were waiting for them. It wasn't Big Blue. Squinting his eyes through the heavy rain, he could just make out what looked like large black dogs. There were ten of them in total and they all had set up a blockade for the approaching caravan.

"Shit. Striders!" Noah yelled to the rest of the cars behind them, "Striders straight ahead!"

The report was repeated down the chain of cars and Chung saw that even the cart drivers drew their swords.

"What are striders?" Chung asked, dropping the cannon and pulling out his revolvers.

Noah gripped the reins in one hand and her battle staff in the other. "You're about to find out," she said through gritted teeth. She let out a loud battle cry that the other soldiers echoed as the cars went into a collision course with the enemy.

Her staff began to glow a bright blue and she sent a volley of ice shards in the immediate area in front of her. The striders danced nimbly about, avoiding the shards with impossible agility. They were close enough now for the prince to see them clearly. Amidst the spray of frost bursts, he saw exactly what these striders were.

They were black creatures. Much larger than a horse but kept low to the ground like a panther. Each leg ended in a hard, pointed tip and each leg joint had a plate-like scale that fanned out into sharp spines. Their aerodynamically shaped head was plated off and glowed with yellow lightning-like streaks that followed along the creature's back and under it's belly. Chung had seen this design before. Immediately he thought of the past demon encounters during his journey here. He would have thought on it more but a flash of steel caught his eye above one of the striders.

It was only then that Chung noticed, through the heavy rain, that each of these creatures were mounted by someone. Protected by the large plates, the riders fired arrows at the incoming Velder platoon. An arrow struck the lead car's bird and it let out a pained cry, veering the car off course. Noah pulled the reins right, forcing it back onto the road and straight into the waiting blockade.

The Royal Guard at Noah's side threw himself around the captain, intercepting the shots from one side with his shield and the other side with his plated back. He grunted as a stray arrow found vulnerable point under his right arm

"Julius!" Noah cried.

"I'm fine, captain," he replied, ripping the arrow out of his arm with a pained groan. "Lookout!"

Winding up his mace Chung noticed energy flowing from the guard's arm and onto the weighted point of the mace. He struck an airborne strider mere moments from pouncing on the captain. So powerful was the blow that despite the beast's large size, it was sent flying back to the edge of the bridge. The guard roiled in pain as his augmented strength seemed to strain his bleeding arm.

"Another!" Noah said, their cart already deep in the circle of enemies.

The guard spun around, shield lighting up with the same blue light as he bashed another strider, knocking it to the ground and sending the rider airborne. Steel glinted above them as the rider drew two blades.

Chung quickly flicked his revolver upward and fired two shots only to have them expertly deflected as she landed on the back of their cart. Dark skin and long elven ears were all he had to see. It was one of Chloe's sentinels.

In the small space they had, the prince and the sentinel engaged in a heated series of near misses as Chung ducked and weaved around the lightning fast strikes. Each time he thought he had a shot on her, she would palm the muzzle of his revolver away, narrowly dodging the bullet. Each strike grazed his armor and he tried his best to keep her from hitting a vulnerable joint. She lunged. Chung quickly grabbed her arm, breaking her elbow before throwing her off the cart. Her body rolled onto the white stone before getting trampled by the other cars behind his.

They were on the western bridge, now. Nothing but open seas and the gates to the waterway could be seen far in the distance. They were far from safety, though, as the striders were now hot on the caravan's trail.

"Are you okay?" Noah called back as she tried to keep the panicked bird from running them off the bridge.

"I'm fine!" Chung shouted, wiping the rain that matted his face. Looking back he saw some of the remaining riders board the other cars. "They're still on us, though! I'm going back there!"

"I'm not slowing down," Noah warned.

"You don't have to," Chung replied standing at the end of the car, he looked at the driver just behind the lead and he motioned him closer.

"What are you doing?!" Noah cried.

"Don't worry! I'm leaving the cannon here." Before he could stop himself, the prince jumped, throwing himself at the bird just behind the lead car. It struggled under his grip before he righted himself and clung his way on to the second car.

At this point he could see that one of the sentinels had already cut down an entire cart full of soldiers. She leapt back onto the waiting strider and moved to the next target. Three of the six cars were currently boarded and it was only a matter of time before they'd lose the others as well.

Standing on the edge of the second car, he jumped on to the next one to his left, losing his footing and nearly falling off as he gripped the edge and attempted to climb back up. The car was currently fending off one of the boarding sentinels. She nimbly dodged each blade that was thrusted at her, throwing soldier after soldier off the car until only two remained: Roger and Mud.

Roger was busy driving the car, leaving Mud to fend for himself. The square soldier swung his blade wildly at the sentinel who merely laughed at his poor efforts to harm her. Lightning struck overhead and a magical bullet punched through her skull and her body fell in a crumbled heap.

"Chung!" Mud cried as the prince climbed onto the car.

"Am I glad to see you, kid!" Roger said as he directed the bird away from the edge of the bridge.

"We're not done, yet!" Chung said, looking for the next car to jump to.

Chung took a running start, leaping to the next one behind them and throwing himself onto a sentinel who had already killed two of the four passengers of the sixth car. The back of the car gate shattered under their weight, sending the supplies as well as the prince and the attacker tumbling onto the wet surface of the bridge.

They both slid on the pavement among the scattered supplies until they came to a stop with the prince on top and the unconscious sentinel motionless beneath him. He glanced up to see the last car move further and further away. Looking frantically around his immediate area, he spotted rope still tied to the back of the car and he dove for it.

Gripping the rope as tight as he could he was lurched forward, body dragging against the wet pavement as he tried to pull himself up to a standing position.

"Help!" He heard a voice call. Looking up he spotted another sentinel had boarded the last car and was gutting one of the two remaining passengers. Still being dragged across the pavement, he drew his revolver and fired at the sentinel. The first two caught the dark elf's attention and the third struck her on the head. Her lifeless body fell off the car and Chung had to maneuver himself around as the body came rolling towards him. Two more striders flanked the last car and the one on the left moved to cut the rope pulling the prince.

He fired wildly at the rider who inched closer and closer to the line. The driver of the last car saw this and pulled on the reins, sending the bird on a hard right, forcing the car to slam onto the right strider and sending the demon and its sentinel into the waters far below.

Unfortunately for Chung, he was pulled along the same path, his body was thrown to the right and he was sent flying over the edge.

"Oh gods!" He gripped the rope as he hung helplessly over the black sea. The cart ran along the edge of the bridge, pulling Chung along as he held on for dear life. Rain whipped his face as his grip on the slippery rope prevented him from climbing.

"Chung! Holy El!" he heard a voice call out. Looking up he could see Roger looking over the edge on the last cart.

"Pull me up!" the prince yelled, wrapping the rope around his forearm.

"Hang on! Just gimme-" Roger broke off as a sentinel could be seen boarding the car and the man disappeared from Chung's view.

A flash of lightning boomed overhead and he feared the worst for Roger. His fears only grew as, through the crack of lightning, a low wail could be heard under him causing his blood to run cold.

Turning his eyes downward, he saw the body of a large blue serpent just below the water's surface. It turned its head sideways and Chung could see a large eye focus on him.

"Pull me up!" He yelled desperately while firing his revolver at the beast far below. He struck the beast with each shot but it did nothing to slow it down, it merely followed, waiting for its food to fall into the water like the rest.

"Heads up!" Roger called as the body of a dead sentinel was flung over the edge. The man appeared again, face in a wide grin, "That'll teach the bitch not to mess with me-"

The beast leapt out of the water, swallowing the body whole as it fell. The serpent crashed back into the sea with a gigantic splash, sending a wave that shook the whole bridge.

"Roger, please by the mercy of the gods! Pull me up!"

"Holy shit, hold on, kid!"

The prince fired more into the water as the beast looked to be lining up another jump.

Chung could feel the rope being pulled on as he slowly started moving upward.

Big blue lept out of the water again, its maw wide open as Chung unloaded shot after shot into it. It snapped its maw shut, the tip of its nose grazing the young man's foot before it plummeted back into the water without its prey.

The beast stopped pursuing, to Chung's relief and he watched as Big Blue seemed to have stopped completely in its tracks. Regardless, he was glad that the monster wasn't chasing anymore and as he was dragged back into the car, he rolled on his back with a deep sigh of relief. Roger stood over him, eyes wide as if he was looking at a ghost.

"Are you hurt?" Chung said, "Where's Mud?"

"No, I'm just fine. Mud's doing good. He's driving the car near the front. From the looks of it we're almost at the gate but we're not done yet, kid," Roger said as he motioned at the remaining five striders tailing them. Checking the front, Chung counted only five of the original ten carts and not all of them were fully manned anymore. In the distance he could see the finer details of the waterway gate. They were well past halfway across the bridge at this point and just needed to hold on a little longer.

Chung gritted his teeth, standing back up as he drew his revolvers. El flowed into its chambers and he let loose a volley of bullets at the pursuing demons. Similar to how swiftly they dodged Noah's ice attacks, the striders danced around the shots. The ones that did connect only glanced off the thick frontal demon armor.

"These guys are relentless!" Chung exclaimed.

A sound like lightning could be heard but it came from under the water as the bridge itself shook violently from the shock. Looking over the edge, all the prince could see was a large white foam trail. It started where he had last spotted the serpent and traced the entire underside of the bridge.

"Did… Big blue just…" Roger mumbled.

The bridge under the cars cracked. Far in the distance behind them, Chung could see parts of the western bridge beginning to collapse.

"Oh… gods," Roger mumbled before turning to the driver and shaking him by his shoulders. "Pick it up! Pick it up, man! Let's go!"

Chung watched as the crumbling bridge slowly began to catch up with them. The sentinels on the striders took notice as well and kicked at the demons' sides to make a run for it, their nimble bodies tucking in as they caught up and passed the cars.

Glancing ahead, Chung could see the gates now but it was shut. At this point it wouldn't matter who made it to the end. With that gate shut, the bridge would crumble under all of them anyways.

The railgun! Chung remembered. Noah was still in the lead car but the guard at her side had an injured arm. Would he even be able to operate the cannon alone?

The sounds of cracking pavement drew ever closer and they were closing into the gate as well. He patted Roger. "I have to get back to the front!"

"You're not gonna make it in time like this, kid!" Roger said.

"I can! Just…" he looked at the striders passing them. Without thinking he leapt off the car and onto the striders back. He held the struggling sentinel in a chokehold with one arm, planting the muzzle of his revolver into her back he pulled the trigger twice before throwing the elf off and commandeering the strider for himself. Chung tucked in, guiding the strider through the thick rainfall as it weaved past the caravan to the leading cart.

Noah looked very much aware of the situation and had given the reins to the guard to hold steady while she attempted to lift the cannon up against the front backrest. They were running out of time. The bridge was crumbling right behind them by then and Noah was clearly unable to operate the cannon on her own.

Chung put the gun at the back of the demon's neck and emptied a round onto it, leaping off it and crash landing onto the bed of the lead car.

"Seiker!" Noah shouted in a panic, "You need to-"

"I know!" Chung shouted back as he lifted the cannon. He shouldered the cannon as he checked if the slug was still loaded. Satisfied he aimed at the fast approaching gate.

"Don't miss," Noah said.

"No shit," he replied and pulled the trigger.

* * *

On the other side of the Resiam, standing atop the tallest western watchtower, Penensio, Lowe, and Denka waited anxiously for any update on their scouting party.

"Do you think…" Lowe muttered as they watched their only access to the waterway crumble in the distance.

"We have to wait for their signal," Penensio replied as thumbed the focus on his telescope.

"Will we even get one?" Lowe said, spirit already gone in his voice.

Denka sighed. "With the storm picking up, it'll be difficult to see what's going on from this distance."

"Still. We must wait," Penensio replied. He strained his eye through the telescope as he remained fixated on the speck in the distance that marked the gateway.

"And then what?" Lowe shouted, "Even if we get the green smoke, even if we are able to see it, what will we do? Our only means of reaching them was destroyed. We have no way to help!"

"We do," Penensio said. He handed Lowe the telescope and motioned for him to look.

The sergeant squinted as he focused on the waterway gate. He could barely make out the bright red smoke through the storm. "Okay, they made it. But they're trapped and are asking for reinforcements. Again, we don't have any means of reaching them."

"We do," the high commander repeated, a small smile creeping across his face. Through the rumble of distant thunder, the distinct sound of an approaching airship could be heard. "It may not be as planned but... I think we have a way."


	9. Reinforcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After barely scraping it by across the bridge the remaining battalion forces find themselves trapped and with no way to escape the ancient waterway. With the only access to the waterway destroyed, Chung and the Velder troops can only wait and hope for help to somehow arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

Four out of ten, Chung counted. Four out of the original ten cars survived the trip. Their platoon of forty men and women had been reduced to a mere ten in just under an hour. One of the surviving birds was bleeding and ready to collapse from exhaustion while the remaining three had been slaughtered upon entering the waterway. They made it, at least. They had reached their goal and now they just had to wait for reinforcements.

Chung stared up at the red smoke trail, the smoke getting washed away in the heavy rain. Would they see it? He thought as he watched the trail reach its peak. Would they even send help with the bridge destroyed? Was it even possible at this point? Frankly, a black smoke signal would have made more sense but given the situation it might have been harder to spot.

The growls of hundreds of demons surrounding them were too much for Chung to ignore now. He and the remaining soldiers: Noah, her one guard, Leo, Mud, Roger, and a handful of velder men and women stood back to back against a horde of hell spawns. Each one towered over the average man. Each one a beast covered in spines and thick jet black scales that gleamed in the flashes of lightning.

A deep, guttural laugh came from the inner gates of the waterway and the large stone gates slowly groaned open. A demon, taller than any Chung had ever seen stood behind the horde of smaller demons. His grey-scaled body was thick with muscles to the point that he looked like he was built out of pure stone. Short but powerful legs carried a large belly and large, trunk-like arms. His body was covered in scars. Spines that hung around his shoulders and knuckles were blunted or broken. The demon had no eyes yet Chung could feel the beast's gaze on all of them through the thick plated helm he wore. And when he smiled, he bore the most sadistic grin through a row of sharp teeth.

"Well, what do we have here?" he said in a heavy voice, "More challengers for Victor's Pit? Hopefully better than the ones stationed here. I was beginning to grow bored of them and was thinking of paying Resiam a visit after I kill the last of them but… it would seem I can't do that now."

"Where are they?" Noah screamed over the other demons, catching the large one's attention.

The smile faded from Victor and he pushed his way through the smaller demons, literally smacking them aside like a lion would to a mouse as he approached the circle of soldiers.

"Where are who, my pretty little Ice Princess?"

"My Royal Guard! Where are you keeping them?" she kept her staff pointed at him, the tip glowing with freezing magic.

"Royal Guard? Is that what she is? Why, she's waiting for her turn in the ring. We were just about to get started when we heard a loud bang just outside. And I come up here to find you, my dear."

"She?" Noah asked confused.

"Sure," Victor said matter-of-factly.

"The others?" Noah held her ground, threatening to hit him with an ice spell. Victor merely laughed that low guttural laugh of his.

"I'm afraid they've expired, my dear. All four hundred and sixty two of them. I'm sure not all of them were of the 'esteemed' Royal Guard but yes they've fought valiantly in the ring and died 'for the captain' as they all said."

Hearing this, Noah fell to her knees, staff dropping to the ground. "They're… all dead?"

"Not all," Victor corrected. He turned his back to them, returning to the inner sanctum of the ancient waterway. The huge demon motioned for them to follow as he reached the gate. "There's still one more. But please, don't drop your weapon. You'll need it in the ring."

* * *

"Where the hell are they taking us?" Roger whispered to Chung as five demons escorted the remaining platoon down a giant elevator shaft with Victor standing over all of them. Limestone surrounded them as the large circular platform descended into the depths of the waterway's sanctum which eventually opened up to a large chamber surrounded by a complex water system that turned and powered old, but still functioning, turbines.

"This is the inner waterway's main flow chamber," Chung whispered back. "I've never actually been in here but I heard that this is where most of the water filtering and power comes from."

"Great. So we're in the sewers then," Roger mumbled.

"Mud is… Scared," Mud said to Roger and grabbing him by the forearm, "Many bad people hurt our friends."

"If you don't pipe down they'll hurt you, too," Roger said, raising a hand to him and causing the square soldier to whimper.

"We'll get out of this," Chung reassured him, "We just need to think of a way out."

"The way out is through me," Victor said with his arms crossed. The rest of the platoon looked up as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" Chung asked.

"It is the same deal I offered the weaklings who hid in this waterway: beat me in the ring and you and your kind will be set free. It's as simple as that."

"And by beat you, you mean kill you?" Roger asked.

"Of course," Victor replied.

"And how can we be so sure your demon friends here won't maul us to death the second you croak."

"I am one of the demon lieutenants. To my subordinates, my word is law and they will carry it out until they have a new master. And even if I was lying, you have no choice but to take my word for it. Like it or not, you're all going to fight me one on one and you are all going to die."

One of the platoon members drew his blade. "I say screw waiting for the one on one! We all kill him now-"

Victor snapped his fingers and immediately two of the five escorting demons rushed the outspoken soldier. Their large arms pummeled the man violently to the ground before he even had a chance to react. He screamed for help but the remaining three escorts pushed the crowd away. The screaming ceased yet the beatings continued until there was nothing left of the man but a puddle of blood and flesh.

The elevator rumbled to a stop as they reached the bottom floor and the whole crowd stared, horrified at the brutality.

"Now, we can either do this my way, or his way. You're free to choose," Victor said as he motioned towards the pile of meat on the hard stone floor. Nobody said anything. "No one? Good. Take them to the pen."

The demons closed in and shoved the remaining nine soldiers towards the outer edge of the platform to a large pen held together by inward pointing spears and wooden barricades. It was large enough to hold maybe a hundred men but within its confines, a single person dressed in plated armor and blue cape sat on the ground with their knees pulled to their chest and back turned to the entrance of the pen.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught the guard's attention and they turned their head.

"C-Captain?" a female voice echoed inside the thick plated helmet. The guard stumbled to her feet and shuffled weakly towards them as they were all pushed into the pen. "C-captain, please tell me that's really you…"

"I recognize that voice… Lyra… oh gods is that you?" Noah ran to the guard, throwing herself onto the other and causing Lyra to fall over. The helmet fell off her head, revealing a short-haired brunette with skin hugging the cheekbones and deep sunken eyes. She clearly hadn't eaten for some time.

"It is! It is, captain! I… I can't believe it. You're really here, aren't you? I'm not hallucinating again, am I?"

"I'm really here, my sister. I'm really here," they held each other, Lyra a fit of tears as she held her captain as tightly as she could.

"By the gods… my prayers have been answered… I'm finally going to be saved…"

"Not yet... That monster Victor… he's-"

Lyra's smile quickly faded at the sound of his name. "Victor… he's… he's captured you hasn't he?"

Noah nodded, causing the starving guard to drop her hold as she turned her head with a pained sigh. "There really is no way out, then…"

"No, Lyra. You're wrong. We can escape. We just have to-"

"Beat him?" Lyra finished. The guard gave a small, sad smile, "My captain, we tried. We tried our best. Yet all three hundred of your finest… were killed- no, slaughtered by him. There's really nothing we can do now that you're captured."

A chorus of drumming could be heard echoing in the large stone chamber. Its rhythm a slow and steady like a heartbeat. Looking about, Chung saw the source came from a number of the demons pounding their chests.

"Oh no…" Lyra mumbled shakily, sitting up as she looked to the gate.

"What's going on?" Noah sat up as well. One of the larger demons stood at the entrance of the pen waiting expectantly as the tempo increased.

"Bring on the next fighter!" Victor's guttural voice boomed throughout the main chamber.

"Already? But we just got here!" Roger shouted.

"He waits for nobody… In one month he fought and defeated all four hundred of the men stationed here," Lyra said. She stared at the demon standing at the gates. "And now… it's my turn to die at the ring."

"Lyra, no..."

"I've watched every one of our brothers and sisters die by his hand. If anyone is best suited for fighting him, it's me. I know how he fights. I can at least try to use that to my advantage," the female guard struggled to lift herself up to her feet but her strength wouldn't allow her.

"You're in no shape to fight. You can't even stand, Lyra," Noah said, "If anything. I should fight him-"

"Captain, I urge you to stay safe here. You will be killed just like the rest. I can't live knowing I've failed to protect you," the woman willed herself up on her feet. However, her strength left her legs bringing her to the ground yet again.

Even as she struggled, the slow heartbeat rhythm of drums had picked up to a feverish pace. Like an approaching stampede, the drums were a symbol of Victor's impatience. "Bring in another fighter!" He called again, anger in his voice.

Chung couldn't bear to watch Lyra fight at such a state. If she even managed to get to the ring, what chance would she even have facing Victor. She'd be throwing her life away for nothing. The prince looked over the faces of the remaining platoon. Each one, just as afraid for their life as the next. Roger, Mud, and Leo… there was no way he would want them to fight in her place. He had to protect them. Chung quickly climbed to his feet.

"I'll go," everyone turned to Noah's only other Royal Guard. He stood there, shield in one hand and mace in the other. Fresh blood continued to flow from the arrow that struck him earlier and he was clearly in no shape to fight as he looked as if he could barely lift his weapon.

"Julius?" Chung mumbled, "No. I'll go-"

"Your majesty," Julius said, turning his back to him, "No offense directed to you, but I'd rather die than let a Hamelian fight in my stead."

"Julius!" Noah called to him but the Royal Guard simply gave her a nod before being taken away by the demon. Noah scrambled to her feet and ran after the guard. The gates shut before her and she threw herself on it, trying to force the door open.

"Julius you come back here, that's an order!" she cried only to be ignored as he was escorted back to the platform. "Julius! I will not allow another to die under my command! Julius!" Noah was in tears now as she called to him again and again.

The prince approached Noah, putting a hand on her shoulder. The battlemage wept, falling to her knees. Chung could do nothing but watch as the Royal Guard stood before a demon who towered over him like a two-story building. The drumming came to a stop as the fighters sized each other up.

"What did he mean he'd rather die than let a Hamelian fight for him?" Chung whispered, hand gripping the gates.

"Remember when we talked about the war over Ereda Island?" Noah said through her tears, "Julius fought in that war. He was part of the chapter of Velder Knights that pushed the last of the Hamelians out of the island. I was too young at that time but I heard that the fighting on that island was brutal. As close as I am to him, I never asked him directly about it. Still, I know Julius lost a lot of close friends during his deployment. I can see it in his eyes… Even now, I know he's thinking about them."

It never occurred to the prince that someone other than a demon could inwardly hate the kingdom of Senace. Yet he was here fighting on the soil of a country he disliked. He wondered if anyone else felt the same about Senace-if the veterans still fighting here felt the same way Noah's Royal Guard did. If so, why were they doing so much to reclaim a lost country?

Chung watched as the fight began. Julius raised his shield as Victor clapped his hands together and lowered his stance.

"Come, little human. It's been awhile since I've fought someone strong enough to hold their shield up," Victor laughed.

"I shall be your last," the guard said as El flowed to his arm. Strength seemed to return to it as the heavy mace he carried looked to be gripped as effortlessly as a wooden sword.

"There isn't much left of you Royal Guard anyways. So please make this last fight at least worth my time," the demon sneered.

Julius inched ever closer, taking it step by step as he did his best to remain just out of range of the demon's reach. It appeared that both were waiting for the first move. Julius was the more patient as Victor suddenly lunged forward, left fist raised high as he brought it down on the guard with a thundering smash.

Blue El flowed to his legs as the guard, despite his heavy plate, narrowly dodged the blow. He sidestepped the follow up from the right fist, immediately moving under the demon, aiming for the legs. With the magically powered mace, he struck the demon at the back of his knee with such force it caused Victor to fall forward.

The demon cried out in pain as he fell to his knees and no sooner had he done so, a skull cracking blow struck him at the back of the head. Julius, with the power of El at his legs, yet again, had used it to leap high over the monster and immediately went for the killing blow.

Victor's head snapped forward as the strike was loud enough to echo through the chamber.

"How does he do that?" Chung asked, amazed as Julius landed before the demon who lay face first on the ground. "Is he using El to make himself stronger?"

"Not quite," Noah said, watching the fight from where she sat, "He harnesses the power of El and uses it to awaken his inner fire."

"Awaken his inner fire?" Chung had never heard of this before.

"It's that rush of adrenaline you get in the heat of battle. It's the will to push your body past its limits made manifest with El. His arm may have been torn by the arrow but he wills his energy to carry his body for him. In a sense, it's not him moving his body. It's his El."

Despite the blow to the head, Victor stirred. Pushing himself up with a pained groan. A deep guttural laugh escaped his lips. "Ah. I had nearly forgotten what it was like fighting a true warrior!"

As he pushed himself up, Victor backhanded the guard, the strike sending Julius flying quite a distance before he hit the ground rolling.

"Again, warrior! Show me your fighting spirit!"

Julius slowly rolled on his belly, planting the shield on the ground as he used it to help himself up. Thundering footsteps came to him and he turned only to see a right uppercut coming right for him.

El filled his left arm and he met the strike with a shield bash in an attempt to parry the blow. The shockwave of air was so powerful that the pen itself rattled from the blast. Julius countered, throwing himself at the demon's plated head and two handing the mace as he threw his entire being into the strike.

An earth shattering boom echoed as mace met plate. So strong was the blow that Victor's head snapped back and he was sent tumbling backwards.

The crowd watching in the pens gasped at the display of might as Julius landed, the El faded from his arms and legs and the shield dropped at his side, twisting unnaturally as it hung from a limp arm.

The chamber was silent as if the whole room held their breath. Victor lay motionless, a deep groove in his faceplate where the Royal Guard struck.

"Did he… win?" Chung whispered afraid any sound would break this victory.

"No," Lyra responded. As she spoke, the demon stirred, sitting up with a groan. "Victor is a juggernaut of a beast. Had it been this simple, we would have stopped the waterway siege on day one. Julius… is going to die."

"Magnificent," Victor growled, "Your power… how I have longed for an opponent of your caliber." The demon stood on his feet and pounded his chest loudly. "Again! This time… I will not hold back."

El once again filled Julius's limbs and he struggled to hold in the pain of his broken arms as they twisted to the correct angle. Victor charged, letting out a powerful roar as he moved on him at a much faster speed with both arms ready to grab from either side.

Julius leapt over the demon's hands and brought his mace back for an over the head strike. The mace hit nothing but air, however as the demon's narrowly dodged the blow. "You've become predictable," the demon said as he quickly snatched the man from the air.

Julius struggled in the iron grip and was flung across the ring, his body slamming against the limestone wall. Letting out a pained gasp, his body fell limp on the ground, arms and legs twitching as every bone in his body had been broken.

"Get up!" Victor taunted, "Get up and face my true strength!"

"Julius!" Noah cried, hand over her mouth as she tried her best to keep it together.

Faint blue light filled the man's body and, despite his broken form, he managed to push himself back up to a kneeling position.

"Yes!" Victor laughed.

"Julius! No! Stop!"

Every breath was a pained heave. Every bone in his body rattled and creaked as El pushed his broken body up to a standing position yet again. Julius raised his shield and the demon approached him, his guard no longer up as he smiled at the broken man.

"How would you like to die?" Victor asked, hands on his hips as he towered over him.

Julius heaved. Pausing as he looked up at the demon standing before him. Blood trickled down his chin and neck as every breath carried blood. "With your wife and daughter in my bed chambers, if you even have them," Julius coughed.

Victor snatched the man where he stood and stared at him. He squeezed. Julius relented at first but tighter and tighter the demon gripped until the man could bear the pain no longer. Louder and louder he screamed as Victor held the squirming man at this prolonged state of torture. Minutes went by. Every time the pain would numb, the demon would squeeze harder still, renewing the agony. So long the torture lasted that demon eventually hit a point where his cries turned to nothing more but ragged squeak before his opponent's head fell forward as death finally took him.

With nothing but a lifeless body, Victor gripped it with both hands and twisted, tearing the body in half and tossing the remains behind him.

Again the drums began their slow, heartbeat rhythm. Victor took in a deep breath, arms spread as he reveled in the blood of his recent kill. "Bring on the next fighter!"

Noah stood there, hands over her mouth and eyes flowing with tears. Clearly unable to speak she turned away, shutting her eyes tight as one of her last comrades was torn apart in front of her.

As if time had past in a blur, Chung found himself staring up at the gatekeeper who was waiting for the next challenger to step up. The drums were already at a fever pitch.

Chung already knew what to do. He wasn't about to let another one lose their life if he had a say in it. The prince stepped forward and the gatekeeper regarded him for a moment before stepping aside to let him through.

"Chung!" he heard Mud call and he turned to see the square soldier looking at him, lower lip trembling as he struggled to find the words. "Make him dead!"

The prince nodded, giving him a thumbs up as he stepped on to the large circular platform. It wasn't until now that Chung realized how much taller Victor was compared to him. He stared up at the demon whose face plate held a deep dent from Julius' previous strike.

The entire time the rhythm drummed, Chung thought not of his own mortality. He didn't think about how his death would mean the loss of the rest of the platoon. Instead, he thought about Julius and the amount of strength required to cause such damage. He thought about whether he could surpass it. He figured he could.

The beat stopped and Chung unslung the cannon on his shoulder. If he learned anything about Julius' fight, it was that Victor had large broadcasting swings. They were fast for his size but still predictable if Chung wasted no time in avoiding his attacks. A single hit could be fatal if he wasn't on top of his game.

"A Hamelian destroyer?" Victor asked, "I haven't seen one since I single-handedly crushed the king's elite guard. Who are you, boy?"

Chung stood his ground. There was no way a single demon could take out his father's elite knights. "I am Chung. Chung Seiker. Prince of Hamel and son of the White Colossus, Helputt. I've come to reclaim what's rightfully mine!"

"Oh?" Victor gave a deep chuckle, "So you're the prince of Hamel? My how you've grown! And here I thought you were but a stain under my foot after we destroyed your home so many years ago."

Whatever he was hoping to accomplish from that comment, Chung only stood, waiting for the demon to make his first move. Seeing as his words had no reaction, Victor took the initiative and threw a left hook at the young prince.

As Chung guessed, his swings were wide and had a huge broadcast. He quickly rolled backwards, avoiding the swing and entering a siege stance as he exited his roll. Pulling the lever and loading a fresh set of rounds, he fired three shots at the demon that burst in a bright blue light. The dust had no time to settle, though as Victor came rushing through the smoke, arms up in a guard as the only sign of damage were burn marks where he was struck.

He was coming right for him! Slinging the cannon back onto his shoulder, he jumped backwards, drawing his revolvers and emptying a hail of magical bullets, the force of the recoil sending him just beyond Victor's reach as the demon tried to grab the prince.

Chung quickly found himself with his back against the wall, however, and he looked around for any option to avoid getting within range of the fast approaching demon. With the cannon still strapped to his shoulder, the prince fired a cannon round at his feet. The sheer force of the blast was strong enough to propel the prince high along the wall and he changed direction by pushing off the limestone up and over Victor. The prince continued this deadly game of keepaway, taking no risk in avoiding the demon and using his range to his advantage.

Victor was very clearly growing frustrated as the magic bullets pinged off his thick hide like water on pavement. "You think this is funny you little pest? The way I see it, you're going to die eventually. It's only a matter of how long you can last."

He was right. Chung knew his range did little to the demon and he had to get in close if he really wanted to deal damage. There was, of course, the other option of using the heavy rail gun. The way the slug bore a hole big enough for a cart to fit through the thick stone walls was definitely an option. But the recoil of the weapon was insanely powerful. Not only that, he only really had one shot before the cannon would overheat. Without the use of the cannon he'd have no way of getting around the demon if he found himself with his back towards the wall again.

Chung flew over Victor once more, but this time the demon had had enough. With one mighty leap, the demon rose to meet the airborne prince and, with both hands pulled back for an overhead smash, the prince could do nothing but use his cannon as a shield.

The young man was sent plummeting to the ground. The impact of his landing shattered his ribcage and broke his left leg and right arm when he tried to buffer his fall. He let out a cry of pain as he found it near impossible to breath.

As Chung lay on his stomach, the demon landed over him with a deafening crash. His low, guttural laugh filled his head as the demon stood over him, waiting for him to stand. Chung needed to move. But how?

His inner fire! Just like how Julius did. He had to control his El so it would move his body for him! But all he has ever used his El for was to power his weapons. Never had he used it for himself, before. Was that even possible for him?

"Fight, prince of Hamel," Victor said as he stood over him, "It'd be a shame if your return to Hamel ended before your reunion."

"Reunion?" Chung coughed as he did his best to ignore the pain and focus on bringing out the energy inside him.

"Your father," Victor said with a knowing grin, "He's been waiting for you, prince."

"W-what? What do you mean he's been waiting?"

"It's as I say. He is alive, boy. For five years he has waited for his son's return. And here his son is, bleeding in the sewers of his destroyed home. How heartbroken your father would be knowing that you died at his doorstep without even seeing him. Now, are you going to stand and fight? Or are you going to die on the floor like the rat you are?"

Victor is lying! Isn't he? Chung thought as the El was pooled into his mind. Despite what he was saying, Chung wanted it to be true. He wanted to know where his father has been all this time. And if Victor was telling the truth… then the prince couldn't die here. Not now.

Chung took in a pained breath, focusing not on the revolvers in his hands but on his body. This was so strange to him. Is El naturally flowed to his hands but he had to will its direction to his broken arm and leg instead. When it reached its desired point, he had to figure out how to will it to move his body for him.

Victor laughed, "What is this? Are you trying to copy your friend's technique? You're clearly in need of more practice. Stand, prince. Or I will finish you where you lay."

The entire chamber rumbled, catching the attention of everyone inside. Chung continued to struggle with his energy while Victor turned his head upward. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that they were imagining things as the entire foundation shook from that rumble.

"An earthquake?" Victor said, looking about, waiting for the rumble to return. It did, louder and much stronger this time. Its source clearly coming from above ground. The entire chamber paused again and this time the sounds of explosions were clear and numerous.

"N-no…" Chung heaved as he struggled to stand, "reinforcements."

Victor grunted and turned to his subordinates.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Victor said to the lesser demons, "Get out there and find out what's going on!"

Hearing this, nearly all the dark beasts fanned out through the many tunnels, making their way back to the surface as quickly as possible. A single gatekeeper guarded the pens.

"Now… to finish you-" Victor turned his attention to the prince but found nothing but a small puddle of blood.

"Over here!" Chung shouted as he suddenly came flying towards the demon's head, with cannon pulled back. A blue, flame-like aura enveloped his body as his El carried the cannon in his hands. The weapon connected with the side of Victor's head with an impact that sounded much like the explosions going off above ground.

The demon lieutenant was sent tumbling to the side as a visible mark of the cannon's muzzle was planted on the plate and scales on the side of his face.

Chung landed before the demon, aura burning around him as he struggled to keep the flow of El flowing through his body. The sensation was amazing. Agonizingly painful for his broken bones, but amazing nonetheless. The weight of his cannon no longer existed for him and as Victor slowly got up, the prince's heightened senses were quick to pick up on the feint the demon was playing.

Reacting to the sudden change in the demon's speed as Victor attempted to crush him under his palm, Chung sidestepped the strike. He countered, bringing the weight of the cannon down on the demon's arm with enough force to break his bones before the prince turned and swung the cannon upward, connecting with the demon's chin and fracturing Victor's teeth.

Victor reeled back as he shielded his jaw with his unbroken arm. "You little runt! Don't think you've won. I've sustained greater injuries before."

Chung pulled the lever, dumping enough El into the chamber to form a slug as he entered a siege stance. He had one shot at this and he made sure to train the barrel at the demon's chest.

"Where is my father?" Chung shouted.

Victor saw this and smiled through his broken teeth. He spread his arms wide, "Again with the ranged? Come, then. Shoot me!"

"Not until you tell me where my father is!"

"Then you'd be dead long before I speak," Victor laughed, "Shoot me. I want to see the look in your face the moment you realize your efforts are meaningless."

Not this time, the prince thought, hefting the loaded rail shot.

As soon as he squeezed the trigger, he felt an immense pain in his arm as the weight of the cannon threatened to rip his arm off. His body crumpled as his broken leg was forced to carry his weight again and his awakening aura dissipated from his body like a snuffed candle.

Chung fell to his knees, the weight of his equipment too much for him to carry with his broken body.

"What's wrong, boy? Out of fuel already? I was wondering how long you'd last with that much magical energy pouring out of you. Apparently not long enough." Victor began making his way to the prince, taking his sweet time as he watched the human panic as he drew closer.

Chung leaned against his cannon as he tried to think of a way to use his only shot. He needed both his arms to hold the cannon steady and he also needed to stand to use it. He had never run out of El before nor had he ever felt so helpless in his life. If only the reinforcements knew where they were.

Chung blinked and turned his head upward at the limestone ceiling high above him. With his one good arm he lifted the cannon, positioning it upright as he gripped the handle and trigger. The prince fired, the boom from the cannon rattling the foundation as the slug sailed upwards and plowed through the thick limestone ceiling far above.

Victor watched as the blue streak of light cut through the layer of stone like butter and continued higher still until it vanished behind the black storm clouds. The demon looked back down at the prince, smile gone as he raised a hand at the prince.

"Are you sure… you could've taken that?" Chung said through heavy breaths. The cannon at his side burned a hot red and the look on Victor's eyeless face was all the answer Chung needed.

Victor backhanded the prince, sending his broken body sliding against the stone floor until his body was stopped by the distant wall at the other end of the room. Victor picked up the cannon and tossed it over his shoulder, separating the weapon from its user.

"It matters not, little prince. You're out of options and I've grown bored of this fight. Your feeble attempts to survive proved meaningless and I must say I was rather disappointed by your fighting ability. You have much to learn, prince. Not that you'll have time in the future."

Chung rolled on his back, rain from high above matting his face as he tried to breath through the pain. Victor appeared in his peripheral. He stood over him, probably figuring out how he would go about killing him.

The prince shut his eyes, turning his head away as he waited for his end. He knew he was going to die here but he held no regrets. This was where he wanted to be. This was where he was supposed to fall.

A rain of gunfire could be heard high above. Like hail striking a metal roof the sound was loud and continuous as shouting came from the hole in the roof. Chung's eyes slowly opened as he saw a black airship hovering over the hole high above. A number of ropes were slung down the elevator shaft and numerous mercenaries wearing black gas masks rapidly descended down the hole with guns blazing.

Was this… our reinforcements? Chung thought as the first wave of mercenaries touched down and began peppering the demon with gunfire.

"You think you can harm me?!" the beast roared as he barreled towards the nearest mercenary, crushing him with a single blow. "Weaklings!"

Another wave, this time it was red-garbed knights. Their runed blades ignited in a bright display of flame as they threw themselves at the demon lieutenant. Chung recognized their garb immediately. These were Penensio's Red Knights. Victor whipped his arms about, knocking aside mercenary after mercenary as the knights piled on him, trying to find a weak point in his thick hide.

The demon roared, angrily as he began pulling knight after knight off of his back. Each one was crushed in his grip and tossed to the side like a ragdoll. More and more Red Knights and mercenaries poured in from above and more and more quickly met their end as Victor crushed, mauled, and tore through the growing pile of bodies.

"It's no use…" Chung muttered, "You need… stronger weapons." Strength was leaving him. With no El to help him join the fight, the prince could do nothing but watch helplessly as wave after wave of reinforcements met their end by the demon's hands.

He couldn't watch. Chung closed his eyes, waiting for unconsciousness to take him as he listened to the screams of mercenary and knight alike.

"Binding circle! He's all yours!" A young woman yelled.

"Panzer Buster!" said a male. The heat of a laser could be felt where Chung lay. Victor roared in pain and for a moment the only sound Chung could hear was the haggard, guttural breath.

"Waiting on you, my queen," the same male voice said as the light sound of heels against limestone could be heard echoing in the chamber.

"Junk break," a female said as the sound of a giant machine could be heard followed by Victor being slammed against the wall. Grinding followed, and with it the guttural cry of a demon lieutenant.

The cries continued until nothing was left but the sound of metal on stone. Before long the grinding stopped as well, leaving the chamber silent as the entire room seemed to breath a giant sigh of relief.

"Is everyone okay?" another female voice echoed in the hall. Her voice was like the wind. A cage was unlocked in the distance.

"Seiker!" Noah could be heard shouting, "Seiker's in trouble! You have to help him!"

"Who?" the same female asked.

Footsteps. Someone was standing over him.

"She means him," the voice of a young man yelled back.

Chung knew this voice all too well. The prince turned his head and slowly opened his eyes. Cyan eyes met bright red ones as he looked up at that familiar award winning grin.

"Hey," Elsword said, kneeling down to pick up his old friend, "Small world, huh?"


	10. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ancient Waterway has been successfully reclaimed but at a staggering cost to numbers. Broken in bone but not in spirit, Chung finds himself in the company of some familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword or the characters in the game.

The sun hadn't even risen yet by the time the citizens had gathered within the castle walls. They had spent all day yesterday lining the walls with flowers and the kingdoms banners in preparation for the bi-annual event.

A man in his thirties stood watching over them. He had long flowing blond hair and a broad jawline that accented the rows of pristine white teeth. Bright blue eyes and a slightly bent nose completed the face of the man that ruled this nation. Dressed in white plated Hamelian steel and destroyer on his back, it was a wonder the man still possessed the strength to carry his young son on his shoulder with all the weight he already had on him.

"Sorry I had to wake you up so early, Chung," Helputt said to his son as the young prince rubbed the sleep from his eye. The two of them stood on a marble balcony overlooking the palace courtyard. Their subjects lined the courtyard as they waited for the arriving paladins.

"Don't be sorry, father," Chung said with a yawn, "I'm glad you woke me up the second you came home."

The king smiled, "Well, I know how much you like to watch the welcoming ceremony for our paladins so it's the least I could do to make up for all the times I've been out on foreign business."

"The paladins are nice, yes," Chung nodded.

"You'll be part of their ranks soon enough. You just need to grow into your armor is all-"

"But seeing you home safe is far more important to me than a welcome ceremony," the young prince looked down at his father from where he sat. He could see his words had quite an effect on his father with the way his smile faltered ever so slightly.

Helputt shook his head, patting the boy's leg. "Oh, you know I always put you before anything else, Chung. Now that I'm home for a while, you and I can catch up and spend some good old quality time together, again."

Another man approached them. Dressed in blue and white robes with a round face and small glasses that sat at the tip of his pointed nose, this man was someone Chung had grown to dislike.

"Ah, your majesty, I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said in a hesitant but at the same time pompous kind of way. "The Velder emissary has arrived yesterday and has been waiting to continue those negotiations-"

"Come now, Advisor Picklebottom, can't a man spend a little time with his family? I just got here after a month long trip through Sander" Helputt said with a sigh.

"With all due respect, your majesty, this is an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention. As much as I believe in the need of family bonding, I'm afraid there are some things that are much more important."

"Family first, Advisor Picklebottom," Helputt replied. He looked up at Chung with a reassuring grin.

"But, your majesty-"

Helputt raised a hand, silencing the advisor before turning to watch the paladins enter the courtyard. A fanfare sounded amidst a wave of cheers. "Family first."

* * *

Light scorched his eyes. In all the books Chung had read, this light before death was supposed to be warm, pleasant-relaxing, even. This was more like someone had taken a needle and injected the sun directly into his retina.

His head felt like it was ready to burst and his entire body refused to listen to his will to move. If this were the gods' sick way of giving him an afterlife he'd much rather do without it.

He laid there for some time letting his eyes adjust as he tried again and again to get his body to move. Everything hurt. The fact that his body wasn't listening to him only made the pain more uncomfortable. Of course, that was because his bones were broken. But was that how it worked in the afterlife?

At least there was a lovely angel to look at. Three actually: two cherubs and a full grown angel. As his vision focused and he could finally discern shapes apart from his colors, he took the time to marvel at the two smaller winged celestials circling over him. The third remained in his peripheral with her back turned towards him.

Long flowing white hair fell to her back and white feathered wings remained folded behind her. She wore a white gown and a golden halo sat above her head. She was doing something. Typing something, it looked like.

Typing? Chung thought. Focusing on the angel in his peripheral he discerned that yes, she was indeed typing something on a projected keyboard. Strange.

He tried to speak but, again, his body would not listen to him and, after some time, Chung gave up entirely in trying.

It was at this point that Chung realized that this angel didn't have wings. No. Rather, the wings were black and had no feathers at all. They weren't connected to the angel. Instead, they hovered behind her as if held by some invisible force. She wasn't wearing a white nightgown but instead was clothed in a black dress that hugged her body. The halo had all but vanished at this point and was replaced by cone-like ears that peaked out of the side of this person's head.

He knew who this was and looking back up at the cherubs that once circled him only to find a black and white drone was enough to confirm it. He was in a white room alone with this machine who didn't seem to pay any attention to him. His armor and destroyer sat at the corner of the room next to the end table. A purple coin pouch sat atop the neatly kept plates.

"E...ve…" he managed to say. His voice was weak and raspy as he spoke, like a frog on its deathbed. There was no response from the Nasod.

"Eve…" he croaked again. She looked up from her work this time and turned to face him. Gold eyes met cyan for the first time after what seemed like a lifetime.

"You're fully awake, now?" Eve asked, sliding her chair up to his bedside to look him over. "You've been muttering for the past few hours so forgive me if you were actually conscious for some time."

"How long have I been out?" The prince tried to bring his hand up to rub the pain from his eyes but couldn't manage.

"A week, two days, twenty three hours, and fourteen minutes," Eve stated.

"Where am I?" Chung asked. He would have asked if he was in heaven but the Nasod being there debunked his theory a while ago.

"In a medical bay onboard the Black Crow airship," Eve said. She opened a projected window that looked to be monitoring his vitals.

"Black Crow? Isn't that a redundant name?"

Eve didn't answer.

"Where did you find an airship?"

"Raven was the former leader of this group. It took a bit of convincing and usurping on our end but we ultimately convinced these abominations to assist us."

"That's a bit mean calling them abominations since they're helping."

"These mercenaries are half Nasods. Like Raven they've been altered and enhanced with Nasod tech. You have my former creation to thank for that."

"Oh…" Chung trailed off. He had never really asked about Raven's previous life since the man seemed so adamant about not talking about it so the fact that Raven had his own airship at some point came as quite a surprise. And to think that all this time they had been walking from destination to destination.

"Speaking of Raven, where is he and the others?"

"Raven is training the new recruits with Lowe. I have to agree that the overall capability of the men fighting here are a bit lacking.

"Rena and Aisha are scrying the waters of this area. The one called Noah suggested they use their expertise in magic and nature to help attune themselves with the fluctuations of energy emitted by the El Stone nearby. The one called Penensio has expressed concern regarding the possibility of a demon counter attack. He says monitoring the energy fluctuations would be vital in preparing for an impending attack."

"Right, right. He would suggest that," Chung nodded.

"Elesis is on ground as well, patrolling the walls of the waterway while Elsword and Ara are resting. Since we've arrived we've had to rotate sleep schedules for this supposed impending attack.

"I've tasked Add with improving the ship's combat effectiveness so he should be somewhere onboard. Given the ship's current state I've recommended an upgrade on some of the more dated weaponry."

"It seems like everyone has the situation under control… And what are you doing?" Chung asked, noting that the Nasod's hands dancing over a projected keyboard as the drones continued to circle over him like vultures.

"I'm monitoring your health," she stated simply.

Chung blinked. Everyone else was doing their part in protecting the front lines, it was surprising to say the least that Eve would even waste her time doing something as mundane as watching him recover.

"Shouldn't you be doing something more important?"

The Nasod's eyes dropped to the prince for only a moment before returning her attention to her work.

"As much as I'd like to admit that this task is below me, I'm afraid I can't do that," Eve said.

Ah. There it was. The response that he was waiting for. Eve didn't want to be here alone with him and neither did he.

"You're free to leave. I don't want your kind watching over me, anyways," Chung responded.

It was slight, but despite her poker face, there was an ever so subtle hint of annoyance that flashed in her eyes. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Eve sighed, "If you can remember, a large portion of your bone structure was damaged to the point where recovery would be near impossible. You wouldn't be able to walk, or even sit upright ever again had I not volunteered to fuse your bones with Nasod Alloy."

"You're doing what?"

"It's a lot simpler than standard surgery which this medical bay is ill-equipped for. Though I've never attempted this before, I suggested to the others that I fuse your destroyed bone with the same material used to construct my skeletal frame. Your body is now part Nasod as well. At least until your bones regenerate on their own which should be hastened with the consumption of health potions from Velder's alchemists. Again, this is an experimental procedure so I've also injected Nasod nanomachines into your bloodstream to monitor your overall health."

Chung didn't know how to react to that. The knowledge that he was part Nasod and that he had nanomachines flowing through his veins made him feel sick to his stomach.

"I… don't know what to say."

"A thank you would be appreciated," Eve said as she noted a rise in the young prince's heart rate.

"Thank you? I didn't ask to be part Nasod. I'd rather die than be mind controlled by your technology like Raven was. Take it out. All of it. I didn't ask for your help."

Eve closed the projection and she looked down on him. "I didn't ask for yours either back in Feita," she said as she crossed her arms. "If you're so convinced I'm going to mind control you then I'll undo all of my work. You'll die within minutes when your lungs collapse and your nervous system doesn't respond. I'm not trying to mind control you. It's a different form of neural connection."

"What do you mean neural connection?!" Chung shouted.

The door to the medical bay hissed open and a sleepy red-headed young man walked in with a yawn. "Hey Eve, how's it coming along- Chung! You're awake!"

Elsword hurried to Chung's bedside. "Holy crap, you're really awake! Eve! Tell the others. Man, you won't believe the state I found you in. I thought you were going to die! I can hug him right? It's okay to?"

Eve stood and made her way to the door. "I'd advise against it. The fusing process isn't solid enough yet."

"Damn… but dude, I'm so glad you're safe. You know how worried we all were about you?"

"Nice to see you, too, Elsword," Chung said forcing a smile as the young knight showered him with distant affection.

"But man! When you left we spent all day and night searching for you. We thought you got kidnapped by some bandits or… or worse. You know like the demon attack and stuff. We even put up an ad for a lost boy when we got to Elder."

Withholding bringing up the fact that they put up an ad for a 'lost boy' Chung had to ask. "Eve didn't tell you about me leaving?"

"What? No. She didn't… well she never really said anything so we assumed she didn't… were we supposed to ask her?"

"I told her to keep it a secret… I'm actually surprised she kept it."

"She knew all this time?! We were all worried about you, Chung!" Elsword said in a half-scolding voice.

"I know… I know. I'm sorry. I just… had my reasons."

They continued their back and forth for some time as Chung filled him in on how he arrived in Hamel in the first place.

The door hissed open again as the entire El Search party flooded the room.

"Hey, look who decided to finally wake up," Raven said.

"We're all so glad you're okay, Chung," Rena said, she was the first of the group at his bedside and she took his hand in hers. "We honestly thought you wouldn't make it."

"It's thanks to Nasod tech that he even had a chance," Add stated as he took his position next to Eve at the back corner of the room. The two Nasod fanatics were the farthest from him and he honestly preferred it that way.

"Chung! Your pain is less now? Is the… uh… operation success?" Ara asked, hands clasped over her chest as she leaned over him.

"It still hurts all over. Eve said not to touch me but... whatever. I'd love a hug from you. I think I can handle it."

The female foreigner jumped at the invitation and hugged him. The drones hovering over him flashed red and Chung felt something bend. He yelped in pain, causing Ara to jump back apologetically. Just over Ara's shoulder he could see the Nasod queen shake her head disapprovingly.

"Maybe not," the young prince laughed, getting a nervous laugh from everyone else.

"We were very worried! Many days! I want to hit you but I also want to give affection to you. Maybe when you are better," Ara continued.

"Ah, he's just being a baby about it," Elesis said, leaning on Elsword's head, "You're joining us for night patrol soon when Eve releases you, right? I'm tired of having to take the night shift."

"Sure thing. As soon as I'm able to walk. Eve said a few potions should speed up the recovery process."

"I'll send an alchemist a note. Could probably get some on the house," Elesis said with a grin, "Honestly, some of these folks just gawp at me for some reason. It's like they're some kind of drooling fanboy."

"You don't know the half of it," Chung replied.

* * *

The party spent an hour keeping the young prince company and before long the group left one by one to return to their normal duties. As they individually disappeared one after the other, Aisha was the last to leave.

Having said nothing through the entire gathering, she finally had some alone time with the prince. Eve, who was still monitoring the prince's health stayed, however and he wished the Nasod would just leave them be for now.

Surprisingly, without any prompt, the Nasod stood from her chair and quietly left the room. The sounds of laughter was gone with the hiss of the door.

The two sat in each other's company for some time, neither saying a word nor even looking at each other. Chung kept his gaze on the drones that continued to circle overhead. A flow of green data poured onto him like an intangible mist. Aisha on the other hand kept her eyes on the side of the bed, transfixed on one of the bars of the protective railing.

"Hey," Chung said after a long moment.

"You know," Aisha started but paused as she tried to find the words, "we were really worried about you."

"I know. Elsword told me-"

"I was really worried about you," she looked up and for the first time in two months his eyes met with hers. She was fighting back tears.

"Aisha…"

The mage continued, "And there hasn't been a day since you left that I… I thought about you and the horrible thing you said to me."

Chung didn't say anything.

"I thought you left because of me… Because I wouldn't leave you alone about your issues. You said I wasn't your big sister and I acknowledge that but… when you left I thought I must have been the last straw or something. I thought I was the reason you didn't want to be with us anymore," Aisha was crying now as she curled inwardly to herself.

"That's not it, Aisha."

"Then why?" she asked, desperate to know, "Why would you worry us like that? Why would you leave?"

"I just didn't want you all to get hurt. Especially you," Chung said.

Aisha looked up at him. With purple eyes flooding with tears the young prince couldn't help but get a little teary eyed himself. They begged him for more answers and he couldn't bear it to look at those purple globes.

Chung shut his eyes. "You're all important to me, okay? You most of all." He couldn't believe he said that. It all sounded so corny but it was true. "I joined the group for the specific reason of coming back to Hamel and reclaiming my kingdom. After so many years, I just couldn't wait anymore. I had to know what happened to my father and purge the demon threat from my home. It's all I've lived for since I was forced to flee. But you've seen these demons, Aisha. You've seen what they're capable of. I didn't want you or anyone of you to… to die for my personal gain. That's not what a guardian does."

"And you think going out to die alone is any better?" Aisha said through tear filled eyes, "If you told us we would have gladly helped-"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you… I don't know if I could live with myself knowing you died fighting for my sake… That's why I'm going to have to ask you and the others to leave."

"Chung," Aisha shook her head, "We can't do that. You know that we can't."

"Why not? You've saved me so you're job is done, right?"

"The fact we ran into you was pure coincidence. We're responding to a call to arms from Velder and, well, we came to Hamel expecting to fight demons and nothing else. Finding you half dead in the pit of some large water system wasn't part of the plan."

"Yeah… It wasn't part of my plan either."

They looked at each other for a long moment before they simultaneously broke into laughter. It hurt to laugh so Chung only did so briefly.

Aisha wiped the tears from her eyes, "Regardless, I'm glad you're okay."

Chung nodded, "I'm glad you're well, too… And. I wanted to apologize. For worrying you. And for saying the things I said to you that night before I left. I didn't mean it."

Aisha shook her head, "Chung. I forgive you. But I'm happy that I get to see you, again. I missed you a lot, you know."

"I missed you, too."

They were silent again, each waiting for the other to speak. Chung had a lot he wanted to say to Aisha specifically. His journey away from the others has allowed his mind to wander to luxuries he took for granted. Mainly the mage's company whenever he was feeling lonely.

"Oh," Aisha said suddenly as Chung looked up at her, "You kept it." Looking at where she was motioning towards, Chung spotted the small purple coin purse sitting on the chair where his armor was laid out.

"Yeah. For sentimental reasons," Chung replied.

"I thought you didn't like purple."

"I don't. But it… looks good on you, though," he said, locking eyes with hers.

They held it for a long time and it took Aisha a long moment before she realized what he was saying.

"Oh! Oh… Thank you," she muttered, turning her head away as she cleared her throat.

The silence that followed was maddening, now. He had to change the subject.

"How're things with Elsword?"

"Unchanged," she answered quickly, "I just… never seem to have the courage to admit stuff... like you can."

"I see," Chung replied. They were both looking away from each other now. He had never felt so mentally defeated in his entire life and the air was thick with a mixture of emotions that only served to raise the awkwardness of the situation.

The door hissed open again and two familiar faces walked in, big smiles on their faces.

"There he is! Looking good kid, er, at least better than you did a week ago," Roger said as he and Mud walked in.

"Chung!" the square man ran to the prince's bedside and gave him a big, painful hug that caused Aisha to reach out with one hand and cover her mouth with the other.

Chung let out a pained gurgle as the drones flying over him flashed their warning lights wildly.

Eve rushed in and saw the soldier quite literally crushing the prince in a bear hug. She traced a circle and the tip of a pointed spear slowly fazed into existence.

Chung shook his head telling her not to as she looked ready to kill the man.

Roger struck Mud in the back of the head and the soldier let him go with a hearty guffaw. "Calm down you big idiot. He ain't fully well yet. You might hurt him."

"Oh. Mud is sorry."

"Um… sorry, but, can I help you two? We're kind of in the middle of something," Aisha said.

"They ignored my orders to wait and went in before I could stop them," Eve said, "Do you know these commoners, Chung?"

"Who you calling a commoner, you little bitch?" Roger retorted.

And just like that Eve and Roger were staring each other down. This all immediately had to stop as Chung saw Roger slowly reaching for his blade.

"Everyone! Stop! Please!" Chung yelled. Though it hurt his chest to yell, he had to before Roger killed himself. "Eve! Yes, I know them. They're my friends. Roger and Mud. They were with me since I started my journey to Hamel. Roger, Mud, the girl next to me is Aisha and the robot you're talking to is Eve."

"This one's Eve?" Roger said, not taking his eyes off her, "Well she don't look like a robot at all."

"She is, believe me. Now let go of your blade or else she will kill you," Chung said slowly. Roger looked up, noticing a black Nasod spear hanging over Eve's head, the sharp tip pointed right between Roger's eyes.

Roger grunted, turning to Chung as he stood at the foot of his bed, "Woulda slit her neck if she tried anything funny, believe me."

"Sure, Roger," Chung laughed nervously.

"And this one here? Aisha? Ah! So you're Aisha!" Roger said with a grin showing his dirty teeth.

"Chung says you're b-b-beautiful," Mud said, tugging on the bottom hem of his shirt as he spoke to her. "Mud thinks you're b-b-b-beautiful."

"Aw, thanks, um… Mud was it?" Aisha replied with a very forced grin. "So you've been keeping Chung out of trouble, then?"

Mud nodded, "Mud protects 'im and yell really loud to scare away the bad people. But… uh… sometimes Chung also protects Mud a lot t-too. I thinked."

"Does he? Well that's very brave for both of you. Thank you so much for keeping him safe," Aisha nodded, getting a goofy laugh from the square soldier.

"Now you can m-marry him instead of Elsword, right?"

"Mud!" both Chung and Roger said simultaneously.

"Ah… huh?" Aisha was genuinely baffled by the statement.

"Duh… no?" Mud asked, confused at their response.

Roger jumped in, "Mud's just been listening to Chung's stories, you see, and uh, he just has a lot of fond memories of you and the others. He's told us everything about you guys so really, you and the others are amazing, really."

"He told you… everything?" Aisha was clearly at a loss now.

Roger fumbled for an explanation. "Ah, er… well not everything as I'm sure he has a lot of other great stories to tell which would be focused on all the good deeds you did for people and nothing else.  _Nothing_  else. Mud just likes to jump to conclusions and uh-"

"Roger," Chung said, "That's enough."

Aisha stood, face red from embarrassment. "I… uh… I have to go. I'll see you later Chung. Get well soon!"

And with that, the mage quickly left the room, the sound of her running down the hall was cut off by the hiss of the door shutting behind her.

"Oh gods," Chung stared up at the ceiling. Was he dreaming? He hoped he was having a nightmare at this point. Or rather he hoped he was actually dead and this is all just the gods messing with him with some kind of divine punishment.

"Shit," the tall soldier muttered, "Mud, when are you gonna learn that you gotta keep your mouth shut? Now he ain't ever gonna hook up with her."

"No… no… he didn't mess anything up. If anything he just solidified what I thought would have happened from the start. You actually came in at a perfect time, to be honest," Chung said, eyes to the ceiling as he silently wished he would just die.

"What? So were you about to tell her?" Roger asked.

Chung shook his head, "You came in just after it. Well, it was sort of a confession but she's a sharp girl. Either way, she… uh… didn't take it too well."

"Damn… I'm sorry, kid," Roger mumbled.

"Mud is sorry, too."

Chung sighed. "Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong," Chung reassured both of them.

"Well if it makes you feel better, you still got Syrel and the other girls wanting to get on your jock," Roger said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thanks… but I think I'd rather focus on liberating Hamel first and foremost. Speaking of which, how are things down at the waterway?"

Roger perked up at the question. "Great! We've shored up our defenses and are prepared for anything the demons can throw at us. With this here airship watching us, the waterway's pretty much impenetrable! High Commander is looking into assaulting the castle. But the presence there is too great with the manpower we have now so they're looking into different ways to get in. A few of Lowe's scouts found a cave though. It seems to lead under the castle so the High Commander is sending some Red Knights to clear out any resistance and possibly start digging our way inside."

"A secret passage?" Chung felt like he should know what he was talking about, but thinking only made his headache worse.

Roger nodded, "If we're lucky and this plan goes our way, Lowe says we can capture the castle and have a direct line to the source powering the demon portal."

"Sounds good. And uh, how's Noah been?"

The smile faded from Roger's face, "Ah, well, she ain't the best right now I'll tell you that."

"What do you mean?" Chung asked.

"She came out of the whole ordeal a week ago unscathed but…" Roger tapped his head. "Denka advised her to return home with Lyra, the Royal Guard she saved but Noah refused. I ain't talk to her directly but when you see her, there's just something gone in her eyes. You know what I mean?"

Chung understood what Roger meant. He could only imagine what must've went through Noah's head knowing her entire chapter of guards was lost.

"Victor's dead, though, right?" Chung asked.

"Oh, you haven't seen him, huh? Or rather, what's left of him. That bastard's deader than a zombie twice killed. Ground to a pulp. They had to scoop his remains off the wall. All thanks to robogirl here. You sure you're a robot, by the way?" Roger asked, motioning to Eve who had been standing at the corner of the room with her arms crossed the entire time.

She didn't answer and merely looked away with an upturned nose.

"Ah, whatever. Anyways, we were just on break when we heard you were awake and decided to drop by. Lowe and that Raven fella are probably looking for me and Mud right now. Got more training to do, he says. So I'll let you recover and I'll see you again soon."

Chung bid them farewell and once again the room was silent. Eve waited, expecting another person to come barging in and kept her distance at the far end of the room. Seeing as no one else was coming she took her seat at his bedside and resumed her task of monitoring his health.

After some time of nothing being said, she finally spoke, "So those are your friends?"

Chung nodded.

"They're quite brash," she said, fingers dancing over her projected keyboard.

"I learned to tolerate it."

"So it seems," she said, bringing up a file and staring at it for a while. She looked to be piecing a puzzle together in her head.

Without the presence of others around, Chung became acutely aware of a sensation at the back of his mind. It wasn't pain or any kind of physical feeling. Rather, it was a thought. A suggestion. Several suggestions, really, and they came and went at a speed that only his mind could keep up with. The best way he could describe the sensation would be like describing what colors would feel like.

Chung shook his head, trying to rid himself of the sensation as a mix of hot blues and prickly yellows flooded his mind. It was familiar to him somewhat. Like a memory he'd much rather do without.

"So this is rejection for a human. Interesting," Eve said as she looked over the data.

"Huh?" Chung muttered, head swirling from the amount of information flooding his head. "What's going on?"

"I'm playing back the data from your interactions with the others earlier. The way your mind reacts in certain situations is strikingly similar to Nasod personality algorithms."

"How do you know that?"

"Remember? I mentioned I injected you with nanomachines, effectively making you part of my neural network," Eve stated matter-of-factly.

Chung blinked as he suddenly remembered what he was discussing with her before the others came in.

"Ah, so this must be anger," Eve stated as new data came in, "Again, it seems to follow the same algorithm for a Nasod.

"Stop that! I didn't ask you to mind control me!"

"I'm not, Chung."

"You are! I can feel it in my head. This… this mix of colors and feelings and… You're controlling me!"

Eve tilted her head and the two drones did the same as the three Nasods looked at each other.

As they did so, Chung's mind was immediately flooded with a mix of grey and a feeling of a vastless unknown accompanied by dots of blacks, whites that didn't make sense to him but felt familiar in its own way.

"You're doing it again! I can feel it crawling at the back of my mind!"

His statement only brought on another explosion of greys and dots until one white dot in his mind grew in size.

Eve spoke. "It could be... that not only are you a part of our neural network but your human brain can discern our communication to some degree."

"Stop mind controlling me."

Eve let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm  _not_  mind controlling you, you imbecile."

"Well then stop… communicating with me. This is going to drive me insane."

Eve shrugged, "It can't be helped. The nanomachines are necessary for monitoring your vitals. The fact that you can also discern our communication to some degree was an unforeseen consequence. You're going to have to deal with it in the meantime."

Remy, the white drone looked down at him, sending him a series of chirps and clicks that didn't make sense when he listened. However, this, combined with the mixtures of warm oranges and greens made it seem like the drone was reassuring him about something.

"I'll… try to?" he said to Remy, taking a shot at the dark at what the drone was saying. Hearing this, the drone spun happily in the air. Reds and yellows filled his mind and it felt like he had just won a prize. He must have got it right.

"This is weird," Chung muttered, laying his head down with a heavy sigh.

"Indeed," Eve nodded, "But it'll only be until I can safely remove the alloy holding your bones together. So please bear with it."

"It's not like I have a choice. Can't wait 'til you can get rid of these nanomachines," Chung stated.

Eve turned away from him and he was immediately struck with hot blues and prickly yellows. "The feeling is mutual."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi everyone. Thanks for making it this far into the story. So what do you think, so far? I hope everything I've written has been acceptable to some degree despite it moving so far away from KoG's actual story line. Yes, the gang is finally together again and it feels good bringing them back into the fold. Sorry for the lack of action but the events in this chapter will be relevant in the future. As I said in the beginning, pairings are not a central part of the story nor will the romance be the typical kind you can expect. Some of you may ship chung and aisha and are totally cringing right now and banging your head at what happened in this chapter. Some may ship chung and ara and may dislike the language barrier that they share. Some may ship chung and eve and yet here they are hating each other. Chung's growing up in this story and I'm giving him the reality treatment as far as romance goes. Relationships aren't always easy and seldom are they ever simple and boy do I love writing drama. Credit goes to Tiffany for polishing up my writing.


	11. Her Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited with his old friend, Chung has time to reflect on his actions and better acquaint himself with his involuntary ability to read a certain someone's mind. Being stuck in bed to recover, however, has begun to take its toll on the prince's patience and he sets out for a change in environment where he meets his love interest. After their previous encounter, the situation couldn't get any more awkward, can it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the Elsword characters.

The week that followed Chung's awakening was a rollercoaster. The frequent visits from his friends were a welcome respite from being stuck alone in the medical bay but it was also a difficult learning experience being mentally connected to Eve. Because she was able to read his vitals and collect data on his thoughts, he became acutely aware of what he was thinking at any point in time.

Whenever his mind wandered to other people, Aisha specifically, Eve would be there recording his most private thoughts as if it were nothing. Whenever she'd engage in conversation with her drones, what would appear as a silent exchange between the three was a burst of colors and feelings in the back of his head. Whenever he'd speak with his friends alone, even if it were simple banter, any distinct rise in his heart rate would be reason enough for the Nasod to charge in unannounced with weapons ready to fire. The latter was the most frequent problem he had to deal with and it became increasingly difficult to even laugh without the Eve ruining the moment by kicking the door down.

He never told the others why she was being so overprotective and neither had Eve. Frankly, the idea of admitting that he and Eve were connected on a mental level was a taboo he would never be caught dead with. It was embarrassing enough that he was under her care but to tell everyone that, yes, they could read each other's minds? He was disgusted by it.

Eve sat there recording his emotions and played it back. A rush of soft murky greens and lukewarm yellows filled his head.

"Why are you so interested in recording my emotions, Eve?" Chung asked as he rubbed his temples, trying to rid the raw feeling of disgust that was pushed into his mind. His head swirled at the feeling of implanted disgust and overheating from his fever.

"Think of it as a pet project. I'm comparing the data with basic Nasod personality algorithms. So far your data is 93.377 percent similar to the programming. Fascinating, really."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Chung said.

"I think it's good," Eve stated. An alarm went off in her built in clock and she turned to the end table, unscrewing a flask of red liquid which she handed to the prince.

"Yeah if you like the idea of being compared to a lifeless machine," he retorted as he chugged the entire flask, making a face like he had just swallowed cherry-flavored bile. Hot red and rough purple flooded his mind. This was Eve's sign of annoyance and Chung made sure to hit that trigger as often as possible.

She said nothing, however, as was in almost all cases when he tried to get a rise out of her.

"So am I free, yet? I think my bones are healed now," Chung asked. The potions the alchemists have supplied him definitely sped up his healing process over the week. What would have taken a normal human a few months to fully recover, the prince had done so with his treatment in a manner of days.

Eve shook her head. "Every time I remove a piece of alloy holding your bones together, it leaves a hole that your bones need to regenerate over. You still have to use the crutches provided if you want your bones to fully recover. On top of that, your body is still rejecting the alloy hence why you're always running a high fever. I suggest you refrain from moving around too much until you fully recover."

Chung sighed. He slid out of bed dressed in his white shirt and baby blue shorts as he reached for his crutches. "Whatever, I'm tough. I can handle a little walk. It's almost time for another lesson anyways."

"I highly recommend just asking her to come to the medical bay," Eve stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm tired of being cooped up in here. It's nice to have some fresh air for once," Chung mumbled as he stood. He rested his weight on the crutches and hobbled out of the medbay with Eve in tow.

A vast abyss swirled in his head and he learned that this was the Nasod's way of brainstorming. She was thinking about something as she followed him down the iron halls of the ship, up to the empty mess hall where a certain purple-haired mage sat with her back to him, talking to Elsword who sat across from her at one of the dozens of tables. A stack of books and maps of the Elrios and star maps were rolled up, waiting to be used in her next lecture. Judging from her clothing, she probably had just finished her duty down on the surface before rushing to gather her things for the day's lecture.

She was laughing. About what? Chung thought. A million thoughts ran through his mind as he also tried to ignore the swirling abyss that danced with his own thoughts. Elsword smiled back, scratching the back of his head as he did so and nodded.

Chung stood at the entrance for a long moment as he tried to listen in on their conversation. It was difficult but he could pick out bits and pieces of it.

"If that's the way you feel about it, you should tell him, then," Elsword said as his face grew more serious. It was then that he noticed Chung and waved him down tacking on a smile again as he spoke through his teeth, "Speak of the devil."

As he said that, Aisha jolted up, her posture straightening at the sudden realization that a certain someone was standing behind her.

"Chung! W-what are you doing here?" Aisha stammered.

The prince's eyes darted between the red knight and the purple mage before he spoke. "I'm here for the, uh, lesson?"

"Oh! Right. Duh," Aisha stuck her tongue out and tapped her head. She turned to Elsword, placing a hand on his if for just a moment. "Thanks for the talk. I'll take it into consideration." She released his hand, letting her fingers brush over his as Elsword stood.

"No problem. I gotta start my patrol anyways. Sis is probably pissed that I'm almost an hour late," Elsword said with a grin and walked passed the mage. As he passed Chung the knight looked at his friend with eyebrows raised. He nodded lightly and mouthed, "Dude, you see that?"

Chung nodded back, mouthing a "I saw" as he let the knight be on his way. Chung felt his hand involuntarily grip his crutches tighter.

"Good evening, your majesty," he heard Elsword say to Eve. Chung didn't have to look to know what was going on behind him as he was hit with hot reds and rough purples, again… followed by a soft pink. This was new.

Aisha cleared her throat. "So… ready?"

Chung perked at the sound of her voice and hobbled over to the seat opposite her. "So what were you two talking about?"

Aisha blinked. "Huh? Oh… nothing."

Chung didn't buy it. Aisha was clearly aware of this as she forced an uneasy laugh while cracking open a dusty Hamelian history tome. She fixed her reading glasses and thumbed through the pages, doing her best to avoid the prince's cyan gaze.

"Since we're at your home country, I thought it appropriate that we look into relevant history regarding the kingdom of Senace. I thought we'd start it off with something interesting like the war between Velder and Hamel-"

"We lost," Chung stated flatly.

"Eh…?" Aisha squinted at the text that clearly said they ended it on a stalemate. "But it says here…"

"Noah said Hamel history books lie. The battle for Ereda Island was the key turning point of the war that ultimately ended in Velder occupation of Hamel. The fact that Hamel refused to trade with Velder five years ago wasn't because Hamel chose to, it was because of an active, Velder controlled blockade for all trade with outside nations. Now the reason why Velder wants to occupy Hamel so badly is beyond me right now, but I imagine we have a resource that they want."

Aisha was stunned. She flipped through the pages of the book and tried to find something else to lecture on. All the while Chung stared at her, his gaze more intense than ever.

"O-okay… how about the history of the healing waters of Hamel-"

"It's a special power given to the priestess of water. Her ability to channel the El Stone's power allows her to purify the water and give it regenerative properties a hundred times greater than the most refined healing elixirs. Despite the usefulness, the process takes months to purify a single one-person pool for use so reserves are limited to those in dire need or the wealthiest of noblemen. Can we talk about something more interesting, please?"

"I wanted to but you already blew my lecture out of the water," Aisha muttered as she thumbed through the book, again, "Okay. How about this: The Temple of Trials-"

"The water priestess's training grounds. Said to test her physical and mental capacity as well as test her purity of self. If Senace is in need of another priestess, their nominees must undergo training through the Temple of Trials where they spend weeks under immense stress in body and mind. Many fail but only one is allowed to succeed and ascend to priesthood. The trial itself can take as long as a month. Anything else?"

Aisha shut the book and set it aside. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward. "Alright, since you know so much, then what do  _you_  want me to lecture you on?"

Chung slammed a palm down on the table, startling the mage. "Here's an idea: how about a history on what you've been talking to Elsword about?"

Aisha's brow furrowed at his attitude. What has gotten into him? This wasn't the boy he remembered two months ago. "Chung. It's none of your business."

"You were talking about  _me_. It  _is_  my business."

Aisha's purple eyes met his as they both waited for the other to back down. The mage was faltering. After a long moment she stood.

"I don't have to deal with this," she muttered under her breath and turned to leave.

Chung snatched her by the arm and she tried to wrench herself free from his powerful grip.

"Is this because of what I said last week?" Chung asked loudly, "Is this why you've been avoiding me ever since?"

"Chung!" Aisha cried out as his grip threatened to crush her arm, "Chung you're hurting me!"

It was deja vu all over again and he couldn't believe he was doing this now of all times. He just wanted to talk to her. He released her arm and she held it to her chest, glaring at him through water-filled eyes.

"Yes!" she said in a trembling voice. "That is exactly why I've been avoiding you! I didn't ask for this. You were like a little brother to me. And I loved you like one. But then you left. And now you expect me to just…  _accept_  the fact that you have a crush on me? How am I supposed to feel about that? For my own little brother?"

"I'm  _not_  your little brother!" Chung yelled back, slamming a fist on the table, "I'm not a little kid anymore. Stop treating me like one! I have my own aspirations, my own goals. I've fought alongside you and the others and even went out on my own for my own reasons and you still treat me like I'm a kid. What will it take for you to see me as a man?"

"You can start by giving me time to think!" Aisha shouted back, "This is the first time I've seen you in a week and you're already demanding answers. How about respecting my own feelings? How about an apology for making me look like a fool in front of your friends? Have you ever thought of  _that_ , Chung? Or are you too absorbed in how much of a grown up you are that you don't care about  _me_?"

"I do care about you!"

"Then why do you continue hurting me like this? What do you hope to gain? My affection? I'm sorry, but you and all of the soldiers stationed on this side of the ocean know that I'm saving it for Elsword."

Hearing his best friend's name never stung so much. She was right though, it was his fault the majority of the new recruits knew of her and her little obsession with Elsword. He just didn't expect to actually see everyone, again.

"I… I didn't mean for you to find out-" Chung began but was immediately cut off.

"That doesn't make it any better. You like me, Chung. So what? You've already hurt me so much. I wanted to consider it. But if you're going to cause me this much pain just being near me… then maybe it's better we don't even try."

She took a step away from him, expecting the prince to try and stop her, again. He didn't. Instead, Chung sat there on the chair opposite her with downcast eyes. Her words had struck him so hard that he had lost all will to even stop her. Aisha quietly gathered her books and scrolls before leaving without so much as a goodbye.

The prince listened at the fading footsteps and the hiss of the mess hall door as she left the room in a hurry. Even as he sat there in the silence he could still hear her voice in her head. 'You like me, Chung. So what…? Maybe it's better we don't even try.'

It was so hard to breathe. He felt like he was going to puke. Was this what heartbreak felt like? The young man sat there for some time just staring at the table surface as if it were the last thing he'd ever see. He felt dizzy. Cold. Weak.

"Your fever is picking up," Eve's voice echoed throughout the mess hall.

He had forgotten she had been there the entire time. Looking up, he saw the machine sitting two tables away, resting her chin on her palm as she observed him.

Chung nodded weakly as he stood, grabbing his crutches. "Right… yeah… I should… I should get back to the medical bay."

The prince hobbled his way out of the mess hall, retracing his steps down the dark metal hallways as he replayed Aisha's words again and again in his head.

"I told you it would have been better if you had your lesson in your room," Eve stated.

Chung merely nodded as he clumsily made his way down the hall. "Yeah… yeah you did."

Eve was silent as she followed him. Grey abyss swirled in his head.

"I also recommended that you refrain from moving too much. You only put more stress on your body by moving about."

Again Chung nodded. "Yeah. You did. You're right. I should've just… stayed in bed."

Again Eve was silent.

"Chung? Will you be alright?" Eve asked.

The prince stopped in the middle of the hallway. He kept his face hidden from Eve the entire time but he assumed she knew he was crying.

"No," he said, voice shaking as he dropped his head.

The grey abyss danced in his head as Eve stood behind him.

"Is… there anything I can do to help?" the Nasod asked.

Chung raised his head, taking in a deep breath. He turned and looked back at the Nasod. If he hadn't known better, he would have believed this machine was genuinely concerned about him.

"Could you just… hear me out?" Chung asked. He couldn't believe he was sinking this low.

Eve nodded, leaning against a metal frame as she gave him her undivided attention.

Chung wiped his arm over his eyes as he tried to find where to begin. "I knew this would happen," he muttered under a shaky breath, "From the start I knew Aisha had a crush on Elsword. I saw it in the way she'd show it by purposely getting into arguments with him. She was just looking for ways to talk to him. She denied it at first but I became her outlet for her frustration. It's funny, actually… The more she complained about how she didn't understand him, the more I understood her. I guess I just never realized it until I left that I had a thing for her.

"Actually... no. I always knew I liked her. I just knew it'd never work out so I never bothered trying." Chung looked at Eve. She stared at him with those golden orbs, emotion completely lacking in her facial expression. Yet despite this, his head spun with a mix of colors he had yet to experience. Yellows, pinks, and blues came together in a flurry that he, strangely, understood. This was empathy. Empathy? From a machine? Was this Nasod even capable of experiencing the emotions he was feeling?

He turned his thoughts towards the Nasod. She may be a machine but this machine was still a girl. "Was it right for me to tell her?" he asked, "What should I have done?"

Eve ran a hand through her hair as she visibly struggled to find an appropriate answer. "If you want me to speak frankly," she began and Chung mentally braced himself for her feedback.

"Your presentation was far too negative and straightforward. You completely omitted the courting phase as is customary in a human's romantic relationship and you denied your prospective mate the opportunity to consent to your terms of committing to said relationship. On top of that-"

"Eve," Chung sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not asking for your analytical report. I'm asking you for a girl's perspective."

"I'm afraid I'm not following," Eve said, her brow furrowing as she seemed sure she was giving him the proper answer.

Chung spun around and continued down the hall with Eve catching up to his side. "I mean pretend you're the one… you're the one being courted-like imagine that your ideal guy wanted to tell you he liked you."

Chung watched the Nasod in the corner of his eye as she was visibly trying to imagine it. On the surface she seemed to be deep in thought, yet in his mind a blend of warm pink, bright whites, and passionate reds assaulted him.

"Okay," Eve stated flatly.

"Now, what would be the best way for your ideal guy to tell you his feelings?" Chung asked as he entered the medical bay and took his spot on his bed. The prince set the crutches at the end of the bed as he kicked back on the bed, watching the Nasod run simulations in her head. Moby slid itself under her, functioning as her chair as she leaned forward on Remy.

"Well," she started as the colors continued to dart about in his head. Chung had to admit, this new emotion he was experiencing was a nice change of pace from the usual color pallet Eve gave him.

"I'd prefer it if this human said it while we were alone."

"Okay. That makes complete sense. Anything else?"

"None that I can think of."

Chung blinked. That was it? He'd be lying if he said he wasn't remotely disappointed.

"Well, just try. I'm sure you can nitpick."

Eve rested her head on the white drone in deep thought. She seemed to withdraw into herself as the colors in Chung's head intensified. "The human can also present himself in cleaner attire rather than the filth he's been sweating in."

"Right, so shower and dress up. That makes sense. Anything else?"

"The… human could stop referring to me as 'your majesty' in a mocking way and just address me by my actual name like he does with his friends."

"O...kay, that's oddly specific," the prince stated, tilting his head at the Nasod as she idly traced circles on Remy.

"He could also start talking to me more instead of giving me the passing glance like he always does."

This person didn't sound like Add.

"Anything… else?"

"He could smile at me the way he smiles at you or the others when he knows he's doing something completely irrational."

Chung sat up, staring at the Nasod who simply rested her head on Remy's chasis. The cogs in his mind began to turn as he slowly pieced together what the machine was saying. "Eve?"

"Hm?"

"You're… not talking about Elsword, are you?"

Eve hesitated as an assault of hot reds and pinks filled his head.

"Maybe," she stated. The Nasod raised her head off her drone and looked at Chung. In his head, Chung had a thousand questions, all were centered around what she thought about the red-headed knight. Eve must have understood what was going through his mind because as he thought of these questions, she silently fired back with the same mixture of reds and pinks that was enhanced by the way she shyly averted her eyes.

Chung couldn't believe it. This heartless machine who killed her entire race on a whim was capable of feelings? As much as he hated to admit it, this revelation forced Chung to see Eve under a completely new light. Eve was attracted to a human.

* * *

There came an ear-shattering crash as the castle's tallest spire toppled over the castle courtyard. The wall that separated Hamel's paladins from the waiting horde of demons crumbled under the fallen tower's weight. As soon as their only remaining defense had fallen, Hamel's most elite guard were overrun by a tide of monsters.

"Your highness!" the advisor pounded on the door as hard as he could. The barricade was moved aside only slightly and a plump aged man burst into the castle's large throne room. Before him, just past a wall of the king's personal guard, were hundreds of people, noble and peasant alike, all frightened and huddled together as the war raged on just beyond the doorway. He scanned the throne but found neither the king nor his son.

"Your highness? Terrible news! Terrible, terrible news!" advisor Picklebottom shouted.

"Advisor? Over here," the king said over the crowd. Training his ears to the sound of Helputt's voice, the advisor pushed his way through the masses towards the right side of the room.

He found his king kneeling down next to one of the many marble collumns that lined the right side of the throne room. In the king's arms lay an elderly man, dying from loss of blood due to a missing arm. A young prince hung over the king's shoulder, watching as Helputt recited the man's last rites.

"Your highness! Terrible news. The wall… The wall's been-"

The king raised a finger at the advisor, silencing him before turning his attention back to the elderly man. Gently, quietly, he ran his gauntleted hand over the man's face, shutting his eyes before laying the body to rest.

"Keep it down, Advisor Picklebottom," Helputt said in a whisper, "You let news like that out and the entire room will panic."

"Yes, your highness," the advisor said softly, "But, erm… the wall."

"So it's come to this, hasn't it?" Helputt muttered. His deep blue eyes scanned the scared faces that filled the hall.

"Un… fortunately, your highness," the advisor said solemnly.

Reaching into his breastplate, the king fished out a small rusted key. He clasped it tightly in his hand before placing it in the advisor's palm.

"My… king?" the advisor looked up at the man, perplexed as the king lifted the boy from his shoulder and set him on the ground, gently nudging him over to the advisor.

Helputt leaned forward, close enough for only the advisor to hear. As the young prince stared up at the two, he saw as the king's advisor's eyes widened with surprise. He tried to advise against it but Helputt smiled and patted the man on the shoulder. "That's an order, advisor."

"Father?" the young prince called as he looked up at the king, "What's going on?"

"I'm putting you on an important mission, son," Helputt said running his hand through the boy's short blond hair. "You're going to scout out an escape route to help get everyone out safely. Think you can do it?"

Chung's eyes shined at the question. "Of course I can!"

"Good, good!" Helputt said cheerfully, "But you better get going. The sooner you get the job done, the more people we can save! Think you can do it?"

The prince nodded quickly. "C'mon, Mr. Picklebottom. We have to hurry!" Chung grabbed the advisor by the arm and forcefully pulled him through the crowd.

"Be careful, out there!" the prince heard his father say.

He responded with a loud "I will!"

.

His bed lurched violently causing Chung's eyes to snap open from the sudden motion. Blinding white light filled his retinas and he searched around through squinted eyes for a clock. It was five in the morning. The sun had only just begun to rise and Eve was already waking him up?

"You could've just used your alarm like all the other times," the prince said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked at the white-haired individual sitting at his bed side only to realize it wasn't Eve at all.

Sitting before him, using an electrically generated repulsion field created by his dynamos, was Add. A look of scorn was plastered on the technophile's face framed by long white hair. He sat there, gnawing at a brick of military rations, creating a symphony of crunching and gnawing that only enhanced his look of irritation. Dressed in white slacks and coat with a violet vest and black tie, he exuded an aura of sophistication second only to the Nasod queen he obsessed over. A self-proclaimed genius, he only tolerated those he deemed worthy of his own intellect and he had little tolerance for the young prince.

Judging by how he was positioned, the man had kicked the bed frame, jolting Chung awake. This wasn't the first time he had woken up to Add instead of Eve, however. It seemed the mastermind was in a particularly good mood today seeing as he didn't wake him with electrocution.

"What gives? Why so early?" Chung mumbled.

"The Velder commander has some 'important' news to announce. Said they wanted everyone up bright and early to prepare for the operation tonight."

"Operation?" Chung yawned, "What operation?"

Add frowned at him, "It must've been nice being cared for by my lovely queen instead of sweating in the engine room. While you were laying in bed for the past two weeks, we've been preparing for a major assault on the castle."

One of his many dynamos flashed as a holographic screen was projected in front of Add. A picture of Eve appeared over a phone icon accompanied with a distinct 8-bit ringtone.

Add pressed the key to answer and a live video feed appeared. "Listen up. The 'high commander' or whatever has an announcement for everyone. He wanted you to listen in, too."

Eve's face appeared in the camera feed, giving her audience a clear shot of her nose as she adjusted it. "Moby? Is it running?" Eve said in the feed. Clicking can be heard and she nodded. "Okay."

The camera was lifted and it was apparent that she had set the black drone on her head to peer over the crowd of soldiers on the ground back at the Resiam outskirts.

High Commander Penensio was standing on stage and was accompanied by Lowe, Noah, and Denka. Of the three others, Noah stood out the most as she was clearly brooding over something.

Penensio was pacing back and forth as he gave his announcement and it appeared that Chung and Add had missed the beginning half. Directly behind him was a printed map of Hamel's castle grounds as well as a printed map of the known secret passage the Velder army had scouted out. Looking at the layout of the second map, Chung couldn't help but feel like he had seen this map before.

"And that's why we have to act  _now_. If there's even a chance that some of the Red Knights are still alive in there, we have to take this opportunity to save them!"

The crowd of soldiers agreed. Hearing this Noah raised her head, disdain and disbelief plastered on her face.

Penensio continued in the video feed, "But this is more than a simple search and rescue operation. Denka will go over the details."

The high commander was clearly aware of the captain's contempt and as Denka took the stage, he retreated to the back to speak with the leader of the Royal Guard. The otterman hadn't even begun talking and Noah looked to be at her limits with the high commander.

Denka cleared his throat, bringing attention to him as everyone's eyes seemed to be trained at the argument going on behind him.

"This operation will begin tonight and may continue well into the following night so rest up, eat well, and be up and ready by mid afternoon. I've divided the plan into three phases: the rescue phase, the infiltration phase, and the assault phase. Lowe and Noah will be responsible for phase one and two while Penensio will lead the main assault on phase three."

Denka turned to the map of the underground passage. "Phase one and two will take place underground. Because of gravity of these phases and the limited space, we'll be assigning the best we have for one and two. Erm, Chung, if you're listening, that includes you. I'd never willingly put you in danger, your majesty, but your participation is necessary again."

"Finally," Chung mumbled, "I was beginning to wonder when I'd get to fight, again."

Add merely grunted and turned the volume up on the video feed.

The camera shifted and attention was brought to Eve. She must've been raising her hand. "The prince has not fully recovered yet and I'm concerned about his combat effectiveness for this situation. Is his presence necessary or is it possible to supplement it with more troops?"

Denka shook his head, "No, uh… what was your name again? Ellen?"

"Eve"

"Right. The prince is the only one with combat experience able to wield a destroyer which is necessary for clearing out the rockslide that occurred during our last scouting operation. Though I share your concern for his safety, Chung's participation is paramount."

A loud crack echoed in the Chung's room and he looked over at Add who had bitten his ration in half. He continued to chew it loudly, light purple eyes focused not on the video but on the prince.

"Moving on, phase one will consist of a small team tasked with locating and rescuing any Red Knights still trapped within the collapsed tunnel. As of right now we are not certain on how severe the collapse was but regardless, the sooner we get through phase one, the better. Using explosive weapons directly under a tunnel isn't exactly the most subtle, after all.

"We're assigning three boats for this part of the operation, two boats for our infiltration team and one dedicated to a medical team. Upon clearing the blockade and finding the Red Knights, injured are to be escorted back to the medical team. Any able-bodied Red Knights are to merge with our infiltration team and move on to phase two.

"Phase two is the infiltration of the castle," Denka tapped the underground map and placed several red markers on key points, "Before the collapse of the tunnel we've rigged two sets of explosives. The first set is primed to destroy three key segments here, here, and here. Based on our measurements these explosives should cause the foundation of the castle to crumble, bringing down portions of the first wall, and possibly the second.

"The resulting chaos should create the perfect window of opportunity to set off the final set of explosives at a remote location behind the castle, thereby granting access into the castle. The purpose of the first set of explosives, if it isn't obvious enough, is to bring attention to the front. Having an airship and ground forces at the gates while their walls fall before the demons should be a large enough distraction to pull focus away from behind the castle. From there the infiltration team's main objective is to attack from within, picking off key sniper posts and opening the main gates for the first and second walls.

"The first set of explosives should give the assault phase a rough path inside, though it may be difficult to cross which is why the main gate must also be opened to force the enemy to cover two fronts and hopefully distract them enough for the infiltration team to open the second wall's gates to the main castle structure. That being said, upon triggering the first set of explosives, the bulk of our troops will begin our attack. With the Black Crow providing artillery fire, we should be able to soften the resistance, allowing the rest of our men to clean up. Remember, our objective is to capture the castle  _intact_. By doing so we will have direct access to the Halls of Water and a secure location to fall back to should the demons retaliate. Any questions, so far?"

"What kind of resistance should we expect?" a soldier asked.

Denka adjusted his glasses, "This is one of the demons strongest fortified positions. You should expect demon snipers along the wall and crushers as well as some types we have yet to meet. There's also a high probability that another lieutenant may be stationed there."

Hearing this, the soldiers all erupted in loud whispers. The camera feed caught some of the audio as many of the soldiers sounded greatly demoralized at the knowledge of a demon lieutenant being present.

Denka raised both his hands, calling attention back to him. "Although the odds may seem stacked against us with our given manpower, we have the element of surprise as well as the raw firepower of our airship which we intend to use liberally. As much as all of us would want to wait for more troops, the high commander believes the longer we wait, the more likely we are to be pushed out of the waterway, yet again. We cannot afford to lose the waterway especially with the bridge gone… Any further questions?"

The otter-man waited before turning to Noah and Lowe. The former was still in a heated argument with Penensio and it wasn't until Denka called for them did the captain broke the conversation and took the stage with Lowe.

"You already know who I'm bringing with me," Noah said with arms crossed as Lowe pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"Right, right," the sergeant said as he looked down the list, "Infiltration team... I'm taking Elsword, Ara, Eve, and Chung. The captain has chosen Lyra. As for our medical team…"

Chung sat up. "We're beginning our attack already? But I thought we didn't have the manpower. Last I counted we should have at most three thousand total."

Add shut off the feed and turned to the prince. "Who cares about manpower when all they need is me? The improvements I've made to this ship have increased its combat effectiveness tenfold. Even without the troops supporting us at the ground we can level the castle with this ship alone."

"We're trying to keep the castle intact, remember?" Chung said.

"If the castle stands it stands. If it gets blown to bits, then so be it. Seeing as it was built ages ago it'd probably crumble on its own after the first set of explosives. I'm surprised it's even standing considering how your old man failed to protect it."

"What did you say?" Chung glared at the mastermind who gave him a wry smile. He couldn't believe this man. Why was he so indifferent towards other people? Did he really see the humans as primitive nobodies like Eve did? Why was he going out of his way just to piss him off? What did he ever do to him?

Add leaned back, propping his feet up on a nearby tray table. "Hit a nerve, did I? Sorry. But in all honesty, I don't think the castle is worth saving. So you might want to watch your head when assaulting the castle. I can't guarantee its ability to withstand the Black Crow's firepower."

"You bring the castle down, you kill Eve, too. She's with me, remember?"

"She isn't  _with_  you! She's just running an operation with you," Add said as his eye twitched at the comment.

"That's… what I meant?" Chung said, confused as to why he was being so angry.

"I… I knew that," Add said.

Chung blinked as a realization dawned on him. "I mean. She  _is_  with me, too, though. A week under someone's care really does bring people closer, after all."

Judging by Add's facial expression, he had taken the bait. "She hates you, though. I know she does."

"Does she?" Chung asked, tapping his chin in thought, "That's not what she tells me in our neural link."

Add sat up upon hearing this. "Your neural… what?"

The prince nodded, "A neural link. I'm part of her network now and, man, let me tell you, the information she feeds me is just incredible. You couldn't possibly understand."

Chung suddenly found himself pressed against the bed, two white gloved hands wringing his neck.

"How?" Add asked as he sat on top of the prince, giving him just enough room to breathe, "How are you neurally linked?"

Chung choked for air but smiled as he looked up at light purple eyes that threatened to kill him. "Nanomachines," he coughed.

"What?!" Add asked, "I've asked her countless times for something… anything, yet she denied me. And you…  _you!_  Why you? How?"

Chung could easily pry the man's arms off him and break him in the process but the prince found it strangely satisfying just letting the man try to kill him. "She injected it into me. Did it without even asking me, either. Now I can read her thoughts. She can read mine. She calls me her little pet project. And right now she must be aware of what you're doing and is coming up to shoot you. That's right, shoot you."

"I'll kill you before that happens!" Add said in a rage as he squeezed tighter. This was beyond the young prince's limit and he had to take it down a notch.

Chung gripped the man by the arms as he wrestled the mad engineer off of him. With his strength, the young man threw Add off him and pinned him in a full mount. Add kicked and screamed as he struggled under Chung's weight while the prince held both his wrists up against the wall.

"Listen, Add. I'm stronger than you. You can't win with me on top of you like this so don't even bother resisting. I don't know what your whole deal is with Eve but I need you to give it a rest at least for tonight, okay? Just follow orders and after we're done I'll let you go back to chasing Eve, again, are we clear?" Chung stared down at the man under him and Add had all but stopped struggling.

"Fine. We do this your way," Add said, turning his head away in submission.

A flood of hot reds and pinks filled his mind and he suddenly, vaguely remembered hearing the door open at some point during their struggle.

Both of them turned to the door to see the Nasod queen standing there, a hand over her mouth. "My apologies," she mumbled before quickly exiting the room, door hissing shut behind her.


	12. Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Chung almost fully recovered, Velder looks to make their next move. Their target: Hamel Castle.

Despite the preparations everyone had to make for the night operation, Chung remained in bed under Eve's orders. Claiming to be making necessary adjustments, much of Chung's time was spent under the care of Moby and Remy. As the sun began to set, Eve finished her adjustments to Chung's body and allowed him to gear up.

"So we're done, then?" Chung asked Eve as he strapped his armor on.

"Not quite," Eve said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. "Even though they need you, you're still running a fever from the alloy still holding your bones together. The only reason you haven't been feeling hot is my nanomachines regulating your body temperature. As a warning, since you have a fever, you will fatigue more quickly out there. On top of that your spine will be enduring a lot of stress in combat so I've taken the liberty in reinforcing your bone structure."

Chung sighed as he stood, taking his destroyer and holstering his revolvers. At least he didn't have to use the crutches, he thought.

A series of reds and yellows trickled in his mind and he nodded at Eve. "Who knows? Maybe your reinforcements to my bones will be better in the long run."

Greys, pinks, and greens. The prince shook his head as he lead her out of the medbay. "Yeah, right. I'm just trying to be positive. It's the first time in two weeks since I've been of use to anyone."

More colors swirled in his mind.

The prince stopped and turned to face the Nasod. She looked as straight-faced as ever yet under that layer of synthesized skin was a personality he never knew existed until he was injected with her nanomachines. He still saw her as a machine-an annoying selfish one at that-but he couldn't ignore what she had done for him. "Look. I'm… thankful for you putting me back together, okay? But being associated with you the way I am? The way you're constantly recording my thoughts and barging into my business? I'd rather do without the invasion of privacy. So as soon as I'm fully healed, please… please remove these nanomachines. Okay?"

It didn't look like Eve understood and her thoughts pushing its way into his brain only confirmed it.

Chung sighed and stepped closer to the Nasod, close enough to force her to lean back slightly. He brought his right hand to her face and gently poked her on the cheek. Fire red flooded his mind and he raised his left hand just in time to catch Eve mid-slap.

"Don't touch me!" they both said in unison. Cyan eyes locked with golden ones. Eve's golden orbs slowly widened as she realized what he meant.

He let her go and turned away from her, continuing walk to the airship's disembarking platform.

Hot blues and prickly yellows. He hated this feeling the most, for some reason. It resonated with him a little too much.

"Understood," Eve muttered before taking off after him.

"Chung! There you are!" Syrel waved as he and the Nasod approached the blacksmithing area.

Much like the last time he visited, the air was thick with dust and the heat from the forge could be felt well before he even entered. The Velder blacksmiths were hammering away at the last bit of orders for the next assault but Horatio sat at a workbench waiting expectantly for Chung. Flanked at both sides were Frida and Syrel with a mountain of cannon parts set on the workbench before them.

"Hey, Syrel, Frida, Horatio," Chung said with a wave as he set the cannon on the workbench. "What are we adding to my cannon, today?"

The old blacksmith patted the cannon and looked at the parts on the bench. "Today? You're going to be happy with what you're getting today, Prince Chung. You'll be getting standard military tech that the Hamel Knights used to use."

"Standard doesn't sound too fantastic. What is it?" Chung asked as Horatio began disassembling the cannon. Again, his expertise in tearing apart the weaponry impressed the young prince.

"A modification that allows you to empty all your loaded rounds at once and an El powered homing mechanism."

"A homing mechanism? That sounds useful. How does it work?"

Horatio nodded as he removed old parts and replaced it with the newer ones. "There will be module that stores the energy needed to power the homing mechanism. Once the cannon is fired your El powering the module will be applied to the particular cannonball and it will seek your intended target. It's like your will is placed into the cannonball itself."

This sounded familiar. Suddenly he had flashbacks of Julius and how the royal guard used his El to move his broken body. "I've seen that done before. I've done it as well except used the El on my body-"

"Awakening," Horatio nodded, "Some El users know of the concept but it takes a strong will to actually control it. You've done this before, you said?"

"Yeah. It was weird. And yes, it was difficult to control at first."

"Interesting. You know, your armor was specially made to handle the use of Awakening."

Chung looked at the white plates on his body. What used to fit him so loosely was a near perfect fit, now. "My Frieturnur?"

"All Hamel Knights had armor specifically made to handle Awakening. It takes a significant amount of Awakening energy but pour enough into it and you can unlock the suit's hidden power."

"Why wasn't I told this before?" Chung asked. To be honest, he never knew his armor had any potential outside of basic protection.

"Well… It was about five years ago, wasn't it?" Horatio tossed an old piece over his shoulder. The hard metal clanged loudly against the stone floor as he fitted more and more new parts into the cannon. "You weren't exactly combat ready back then, I assume. Nor had you even studied the use of El magic. On top of that the Frieturnur armor is a Hamel specialty. Its secrets died with the knights who fell that day. Even I don't know the exact details about it. I just know that it can and has happened before."

"Hm…" Chung looked over his armor again. Other than pure white plates of unknown metal, the set of armor he wore seemed rather insignificant, be it very lavish looking. But now that he thought about it, this armor has survived thick through thick and thin without so much as a dent. Even his bout with Victor that crushed his bones and broke limestone, the armor came out largely unscathed.

He looked up at the other three and noticed Syrel was staring. Not at him, but at the Nasod standing behind him. She tilted her head curiously as she eyed Eve up and down. Eve had clearly taken notice and was simply avoided eye contact.

"You're the one waiting outside Chung's room every time he has visitors, aren't you?" Syrel said with a smile, "So you must be Eve, right?"

Eve didn't say anything and didn't even acknowledge the blacksmith.

"Chung! How could you?" Syrel said in a mock scolding voice.

"How could I what?" the prince asked.

"She's a lot cuter than I expected, based on what you said I pictured her to be more… metallic. You know, like an actual robot. Look at her, I just want to squeeze her!"

"I'd advise against that she doesn't-"

Too late. Before Chung could stop the buxom blacksmith, the soot-covered girl had thrown herself on Eve. She embraced the Nasod, rubbing against her cheek-to-cheek. Hot red filled his mind and a spear materialized over Eve's head.

"Look out!" Chung yelled.

A loud clang rang out and the spear was sent spiraling upward moments before embedding itself into Syrel's head.

Next to the blacksmith who still held Eve in her arms, a red-headed knight stood, blade in his hand. "You might want to at least be her friend first before you start feeling her up like that without her killing you," Elsword said with a grin, resting the blade on his plated shoulder.

Syrel let Eve go as she caught a glimpse of the young man. The Nasod, who was suddenly set free, nearly fell to the ground only to be caught by the red-head. "And as for her majesty, again, you need to loosen up! She just wanted to say hi."

Pinks and blues filled Chung's head as he watched as Eve lightly slapped the knight in the face. So light was the motion that it was more like a hard caress and Elsword laughed before letting the Nasod get back on her feet.

"See? She's finally warming up to me after only five or so years," Elsword said to the blacksmith. He then turned to Eve with a playful smile, "Maybe in another ten, she'll let me get to second base, huh?"

Greys twisted in Chung's head and he shook his head at Eve. "It's better you didn't know." Still the greys persisted and Chung sighed as he tried to envision what the red-head meant by second base. Strangely, it wasn't that hard for Chung trying to picture Elsword and Eve engaged in heavy petting.

Elsword laughed, "Yeah, it's nothing to worry about, no big deal."

Eve quietly processed Chung's thought string. Slowly Eve's eyes widened and she quickly slapped Elsword much harder this time, getting a bewildered look from the knight.

"What was that for?!" Elsword exclaimed.

"This is Elesis's younger brother isn't it?" Syrel asked as she stood eye to eye with the knight.

"Yep. Name's Elsword. Nice to meet you," Elsword said, extending a hand to the blacksmith.

"He's quite the looker," Syrel commented, taking the young man's hand and setting it on her hip. She stood very close to him as her chest pressed against his armor. "The pleasure is mine. I'm Syrel. Chung told me all about you. But he's been holding out on the finer details." Her hand traced up the young man's arm, feeling the strong forearms and his bicep.

Syrel glanced back at Chung and she discreetly pointed at Elsword, mouthing something that he couldn't fully read. Something about Elsword, Aisha, and the prince. Chung think he understood so he nodded. Syrel gave him a small grin and mouthed the words "don't worry" before turning her attention back to the red-head.

Elsword backed away slightly from the soot-covered maiden yet her grip on his arm held him in place. "Oh don't be afraid of a little ash. I actually clean up really nicely. Tell ya what, you come back in one piece after today and I'll make sure to sharpen your sword for you," she said the last part in a whisper but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear.

She backed away from him, giving him a playful wink.

"I-Interesting friend you have here," Elsword said with a nervous laugh, "Quite a joker."

"She's not joking," Chung and Frida said in unison, both with a palm on their face.

Chung turned to the other girl, the black-haired blacksmith. "Shouldn't you be stopping her from doing this?"

Frida pulled down her goggles and looked at him with a raised brow, "Boy, she does this to every handsome guy she sets her sights on. I gave up years ago."

"Relax, Chung, she's not my type," Elsword waved dismissively.

"Oh? And what type is that?" All eyes turned to Eve as she seemed genuinely interested. Chung was beginning to think she was.

Elsword blinked, just as surprised as Chung was. "Well… my type…"

The knight rubbed his chin in thought as he seemed to be straining to come up with an answer. Out of everyone, Syrel looked the most interested, but in Chung's mind, he knew that the Nasod's blank stare only hid the mix of emotions that went through her head.

"Finished!" Horatio shouted, setting the hammer down in front of Chung. "Alright, all of you. You people are causing a traffic jam in my blacksmith. Get the hell out before we fall further behind on orders."

"But Horatio," Syrel protested.

"Back to work, you two! I want at least another twenty blades done in the next hour," Horatio then turned to Chung, "By the way, prince, be safe out there. When you come back I want a full review on the modifications. Syrel and Frida fashioned some of these modifications themselves so I'm not sure on their reliability."

"It's not going to explode on me, is it?" Chung asked jokingly.

Horatio didn't laugh. "If it does I'll give these two a good flogging. You're our best hope out there, I feel, and I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you because of our equipment."

Gentle waves rocked the three small rowboats that traveled along Hamel's northernmost cliff face. Visibility was low with the moon as their most reliable source of light as they traversed carefully through the rocky waters. Nearly a hundred meters of sheer rock separated the infiltration group from Hamel's castle walls high above yet despite the limited light, the white walls were easily visible. Lowe, Noah, Chung, and Elsword were on the leading boat as it floated along with Lowe and Elsword handling the oars. The second boat carried Ara, Lyra and Eve while the third boat carried Useli and three others that made up the medical team.

"We're getting close," Lowe said as he scanned the rock face. The sergeant directed the lead boat around a particularly tall wall of rock that masked a small watery alcove easily missed among the uneven rocky terrain.

Within the recesses of this alcove was a small entrance barely wide enough to fit a single rowboat and headroom that forced each passenger to duck low to avoid. Had it been high tide this entrance would've been completely submerged.

"How'd you find this place?" Elsword asked, laying flat on his back as he and Lowe used their hands to slide the boat along the low entrance.

"Denka mentioned the possibility of a hidden entrance looking at the blueprints of the castle," Lowe explained, "He said that it might've been possible that one existed seeing as the prince escaped unscathed so many years ago so we sent scouts to scour the cliff edge for it. Took us three days of careful searching to find it."

"I remember this place!" Chung said as the boat entered a large open cave. An old moldy wooden pier greeted them. Five equally aged boats drifted idly, each tied to one of the six posts that held them in place. One was missing.

Rock walls surrounded the prince as he stepped on to the dock. Looking around, he saw a number of old torches and moldy supply crates from long ago. Excavation equipment sat at a smaller tunnel that led deeper into the cave. Nothing but darkness could be seen beyond the tunnel and it was haunting staring into the abyss knowing he had been here before.

In Chung's mind he vividly remembered his experience on this dock: struggling; trying to claw his way back to the castle entrance while his advisor was pulling him onto the boat. Chung remembered saying his father needed him. That he had to tell him the passage down here was safe. He remembered biting, kicking, and scratching at the advisor as the older man held him down.

"Your father will be down here soon," he had said, "He'll be here soon. We just have to leave now. Trust me."

Chung knew he was lying. That's why he never stopped fighting until Hamel had all but disappeared in the horizon.

The other two boats had just cleared the entranceway by the time Noah and Lowe disembarked. Torches were lit while the rest of the team assembled at the pier with Noah leading the way deeper into the tunnel.

"Captain! Wait for the rest of us!" Lowe shouted after Noah. The woman only gave him a sideways glance before disappearing into the gloom.

Lowe cursed under his breath and turned to Elsword, Chung, and Lyra. "The cave-in is a few meters further down the tunnel. Follow her. You can't miss it. Don't start blasting until I give the go ahead. We still need to set up here and we don't know what's on the other side yet."

"So you've been in here before?" Lyra asked as they felt their way through the narrow passage in the dark. It was difficult but the faint reflection of light bouncing off the damp rock walls was enough of a guide to keep the three from running into a wall.

"Yes," Chung said, voice echoing through the tunnel, "This was a secret escape route that only my father knew about. I was lead through here with the help of my father's advisor during the demon invasion."

"I take it your dad wasn't with you when you made your way through here?" Elsword asked.

Chung nodded but he was sure no one could see in this darkness. "It was just me and the advisor. I didn't like him too much. It was all business for him and he always pulled my father away for important meetings whenever my father tried to spend time with me."

"He was the king, afterall," Lyra said, "He had a lot of responsibility on his plate, I'm sure."

"I'm not saying it was wrong for Advisor Picklebottom to pull my father away from me. It's just-"

"Advisor what?!" Elsword burst out laughing.

"P… picklebottom?" Chung was a bit confused at why he was laughing.

"Pickle? Butt? C'mon. Don't tell me you don't find that remotely funny."

"Oh…" Chung said as he forced himself to laugh.

"But you said you had an advisor. Yet when we found you in Altera you were alone. What happened to him?" Elsword asked.

Chung was silent for a moment. "He died. On the boat by the fifth day."

"How?"

"Dehydration. I think, at least. He started drinking the sea water and I think that made it worse. He was saving the fresh water for me."

"We're here," Lyra said, stopping before a large wall of fallen rock. Noah stood, glowing mace in hand as she stared up at the obstacle.

Seeing the prince arrive, the ice mage stepped to the side. "Clear the path," she said.

"Sergeant said we had to wait for the rest of them before getting to work."

"I said clear the path," Noah instructed again. Chung didn't move and the hesitation only made her more irritated. "I'm the captain and I order you to clear the path. Now."

"Might as well do what she says, dude," Elsword whispered. Chung stared into Noah's icy blue eyes. Roger was right. There was something missing in her.

"As you say," Chung said with a sigh and loaded a metal slug into the cannon. "Stand back everyone. Be ready in case it causes another cave in. Oh. And cover your ears everyone."

The prince slung the cannon over his shoulder and aimed it at the pile of rubble. Before them. Bracing himself for the recoil he fired the heavy rail gun and the tunnel was lit in a bright flash of blue. The slug cut through the rock, melting the edges like a blowtorch near butter. The echo of the explosion reverberating through the narrow tunnels blasted his ear drums and causing him to lose his hearing for quite some time.

As his eardrums had been shot, the prince had to rely solely on his vision as he saw Noah wave the wand around through the thick cloud of dust around them. They were talking, it looks like and he could tell that Elsword was cursing about how loud it was.

The overheated destroyer was dropped to the ground. Glowing red, it was going to be a bit before it was useable again. Lowe came running in waving the dust away from his face as he looked to be yelling at Noah. Noah stood there, arms crossed as she let him say his piece and she merely turned her head away.

Despite not being able to hear any of this, Chung was able to understand the gist of what was going on from what was happening in front of him. On top of that, a string of colors filled his mind as Eve came into the picture. The combination of the two talking and that added information from the Nasod was enough for him to draw a picture of what they were talking about.

Lowe was upset that she authorized it without his consent and was arguing that the Red Knights could have been just on the other side of the cave-in waiting. He was saying that she was being ridiculous and that she was endangering everyone's lives by acting without consulting the others.

Noah turned her head and lashed back. Saying that Penensio showed little regard for the safety of her chapter and she is merely returning the favor. She turned to Lyra who looked just as astonished by Noah's attitude as Lowe was and motioned for her last remaining soldier to follow her in.

Chung felt a pinging sensation in his head and he looked over at Eve who was looking at him. She tapped her ear cone as grey colors filled his mind. Chung shook his head and the Nasod nodded, bringing up a projected window as she typed something into a command prompt.

As soon as she entered the command a new sensation filled him. His hearing returned to him except it was slightly off. He was standing next to Lowe and Elsword yet their voices sounded distant. Footsteps that sounded like they were to his right were in fact to Eve's as Ara passed the Nasod, leading the way into the dark tunnel after Noah.

"Hurry!" Ara said to the rest of them. "Your friend. She is in many dangers!"

"How do you know that?" Lowe asked, turning his torch to Ara.

"I have feelings for demon powers. There are many demon powers. Many many demons maybe," Ara said, emphasizing each sentence with a wide wave of her arms.

"She has feelings for demons?" Lowe whispered to Elsword.

Elsword laughed. "She's still learning our language. It's pretty good, though, isn't it?" the knight said.

"Okay, well, regardless, we have to hurry, then," Lowe said then started off with Ara down the tunnel after Noah. "Captain! Captain wait for us you're in immediate danger!"

Chung, Elsword, and Eve followed close behind. The passage was cramped and steadily climbed upwards. If the prince had to guess, the should at least be within the first wall.

Lowe continued calling for the captain until the passage opened into yet another chamber. This room was stocked with Velder mining equipment. Noah and Lyra stood at the far end, their magical light shining over something. No signs of life as the rest of the team caught up with them but when Chung looked over the ice mage's shoulder, the sight he saw quickly turned his stomach.

It was a body. A Red Knight-or what was left of one, at least. Lying in the corner with limbs stuck to the wall with a web like substance and hand still clutching a runed blade, the body's torso was torn open, his innards nothing but a black goop that looked to have liquified. The smell was horrible. A mixture of rot and feces. The look on the knight's face showed his demise had been agonizing.

"What in El did this…?" Elsword asked as he pinched his nose.

"Demon powers. I feel it," Ara said as she looked over the body.

"I've never seen a demon do something like this," Lowe mumbled.

"Is it even worth it dragging his body back to the medical team?" Elsword asked, still holding his breath.

Lowe shook his head, "We have a mission to do. We'll send any other survivor back if they can manage."

"If we even find any," Noah muttered, taking the tunnel deeper into the secret passage.

The team eventually reached a giant chamber. Standing at the top of a spiral ramp that wrapped around the entirety of the chamber in a counterclockwise direction, the team could see almost everything in the dimly lit room. Lining the rock was the faint blue glow of El shards, giving the entire place an almost cosmic feel. Chung had noticed the temperature had dropped significantly compared to the previous room and he remembered running through this large chamber as a kid.

"There should be a big set of stone doors across a stone bridge that crosses a chasm somewhere here. If memory serves me that should be the entrance to the castle," Chung said, peering across the wide expanse of the room. There, in the distance below, around the one o' clock position in the chamber, was the bridge he mentioned that connected the ramp to the bottom tip of a stone structure. The massive stone structure was cone-shaped and hung from the ceiling high above.

"Over there. That should be it," Chung pointed for the others to see.

Lowe grumbled, "And still no sign of the Red Knights."

"You think they were taken hostage?" Lyra asked.

Lowe shrugged, "After seeing what happened to the poor guy back in the other room, I could only hope that had happened… And as for the explosive charges…" Lowe pulled out a map of the chamber and looked over it. Chung and Elsword peeked over his shoulder, as well. Red x's marked the locations at three points of the ceiling at one side of the chamber and the three men trained their eyes over to the general location. They squinted in the dark before a bright projected screen appeared in front of them, scaring the three of them as Eve commanded Remy to zoom in on the given location.

"Well that's handy. Thanks, Eve," Lowe said as the group stared into the screen.

It was extremely difficult to pick out but copper wiring eventually caught Chung's eye and he traced it to one charge stuck in between two large stalactites was an explosive charge with a blue El battery attached to from its size, the explosive must be as big as the person who managed to climb up there and place it. Tracing the wiring to a splitter, the group found the general location of the plunger hidden somewhere in the forest of stalagmites around the eleven o'clock of the chamber.

"From the looks of it, the men being taken hostage might be the case. Either that or they fell down the chasm. How deep does that thing go?" Lowe asked Chung.

"Uh… Pretty deep. I'm not sure exactly but if they survived the fall down there I'm not sure if there would be a way out," Chung said.

Lowe sighed, "Great. Well the best we can hope for is carry on with the mission and hopefully we'll run into them during the invasion. And here I was hoping we'd find at least some of the men."

"How many Red Knights are we looking for, here?" Elsword asked.

Lowe paused, "Thirty five, total. The large majority of Penensio's remaining men. He had like fifty-some-odd men left out of the initial two hundred. It's a shame, really."

"It is," Noah said her voice lacking sincerity while she continued on down the long winding descent.

Lowe looked as if he wanted to say something to her but withheld it as he signaled the rest to follow.

"You know, it's weird," Elsword said as their footsteps echoed through the hallowed chamber, "Ara, you said you can sense a lot of demons, right?"

"I have feelings for demons, yes," Ara nodded, "Very many. Everywhere!"

"Yeah, I get that. Your senses are always on point. But we haven't run into any yet. I half expected to be knee deep in demon guts by now but," the knight motioned at the emptiness that surrounded them, "nothing."

"Maybe they're the invisible kind," Chung joked.

"Or maybe they're ghosts…" Elsword said, imitating a ghost as he hovered over the prince's shoulder.

"Please," the prince said rolling his eyes, "after Feita I've learned ghosts aren't that big of a deal."

Lowe raised a hand, halting the other four behind him. "Quit the chatter. Don't you hear that?"

The El Search Party paused behind Lowe as they turned their ears to their surroundings. Noah and Lyra, however, ignored Lowe's command and continued ahead of them towards the eleven o'clock where the explosives were located. Nothing but the sound of distant water like a light shower dripping from the damp ceiling could be heard.

Of course this was all difficult for Chung to listen to as his sense of hearing came from Eve. But even through that, he couldn't pick out anything strange. "I don't hear anything-"

"Shush," Lowe said again, arm still outstretched.

At the corner of Chung's eye he saw Ara and Elsword quietly draw their weapons. Did they hear something? He looked to Eve as sharp yellows and blacks rolled through his mind. Moby and Remy had already begun circling their queen defensively. Even Noah and Lyra further down the winding path had stopped to draw their weapons.

Chung was at a loss during all this. He couldn't hear anything. The feedback from Eve wasn't enough, and he didn't know where to look.

Movement caught Chung's eye, however. On the far side of the chasm, crawling up from the giant pit was a creature he couldn't quite make out in the dim light. Two more could be seen crawling upward. Then sixteen. Then hundreds.

Only when the creatures crested their side of the chasm was the prince able to see just what they were dealing with. It had a round, dark blue and white body about the size of a dog, four beady red eyes, eight blade-like legs, and a line of teeth dripping with green fluid that glowed faintly in the dark. If he had to guess, this was the corrupted form of Hamel's manta spider. But those things were harmless-much less venomous.

The spider spat its venom at them, it's green fluid catching Lowe by the flat of his blade. Immediately the point began to fizzle as the acidic substance began to eat away at the metal.

"Run!" Lowe shouted.

"Where to?" Elsword shouted back as more and more spiders appeared, closing off their escape.

Lowe pointed further down the path. "We set off the explosives then make a run for the bridge! Now go-"

A manta spider jumped on Lowe. He raised his arm defensively and it sunk its teeth into his limb, jerking its head left and right as it tried to rip his arm off.

Ara drove the spear through the side of its head, causing the monster to shriek before falling limp as she raised her spear and swung the body towards the edge. The body collided with another spider, sending both of them sailing over the edge. Dozens more crested the edge and Ara swept her spear, creating a temporary path as she moved forward, cleaving left and right for the rest of the group.

Elsword extended a hand to Lowe. "You okay, sarge?" he asked as Lowe extended his damaged arm to the boy. He cried out in pain and Elsword knelt down, rolling up his sleeve to look at his arm. Fresh blood flowed out of his wound. The punctured skin was already black and beginning to liquify.

Lowe looked up at Elsword as the knight picked him up off his feet. Elsword opened his mouth to speak but the sergeant turned to the others. "What are you waiting for? We got a job to do! Get going!"

The five pushed through the swarm, Ara clearing a path with each sweep of her spear. Elsword ran along the edge of the chasm, batting off the spiders within his reach. Chung and Eve brought up the rear with Lowe, the prince tugging him by the arm as the sergeant stumbled in pain while Eve picked off stray spiders with pinpoint accurate spears.

The entire time they were running, Chung was overwhelmed with the amount of information flying through his head. Aside from the colors that danced in his mind, his vision had been altered once combat began. It was as if he were looking through a high-tech target-finder as targets of opportunity were immediately highlighted white over the rest. Each target that flashed white was quickly dispatched with a spear or crushed by Moby and Remy. This happened at lightning fast speed as dozens of targets were highlighted before him at once and each would be taken down by one of the three Nasods.

Despite the defenses, however, the hundreds that climbed onto the path were quickly beginning to overwhelm them as they continued down the path. The white highlights began to flash red as the three Nasods could only hold back so much. Spiders began to flood between the running team and the ones that hit the ground between Eve and Chung were highlighted red with Eve too preoccupied with the ones before her to do anything.

Chung unslung his cannon and swung it in front of him. The weight of the blow crushed the thick carapace and sent the spiders flying over the edge. Eve glanced behind her and only gave Chung a knowing nod before continuing down the path Ara was clearing for them.

He slung his cannon over his shoulder again and with his free hand, Chung drew a revolver. The magical bullet easily pierced through each target and the bodies were dead before each hit the ground.

They were catching up with Noah and Lyra who were at the brink of being overwhelmed. The only thing keeping the spiders at bay was a searing light that erupted from the cracked rock at their feet. Lyra stood at the center of it, glowing mace in hand as she chanted a spell that burned the spiders if they drew too close. With each attempt to jump in, the circle would flash and Lyra would flinch as a portion of her El repelled the beasts. Noah stood within this circle, El energy swirling around her as she charged what looked to be a powerful spell.

"Ara! Above you!" Elsword called as the spiders at this point had already crawled high above them and were beginning to rain down on the small group. It landed on her, knocking her to the ground. The knight threw his weight into a kick, pushing the beast off her just as it was about to sink its fangs into her. She had only been down for a moment yet the path between the search party and Noah was already saturated by literal piles of spiders.

Elsword pivoted on his foot, spinning and transferring the momentum to his blade as El ignited his weapon in a red glow. With one swift upward motion, the blade struck the rock like a match. A cone of heat sprayed outward at the undulating mass, incinerating the beasts and turning them into ash that was violently whipped away by the energy gathering at Noah's mace.

A storm had kicked up within the chamber under the ice princess's command. Thousands of spiders had surrounded them as the rest of the party caught up with the royal guards and stepped within the safety of Lyra's protective ward.

"We're sitting ducks here," Lowe said, clutching at his arm.

"Just a little more time," Noah said before returning to her chanting.

The light at their feet began to fade as Lyra struggled to keep the ward up. Chung could do nothing but stare at the thousands that had surrounded them. Each spider that attempted to leap onto them was thrown off with equal force from Lyra's spell but hundreds piled on the bubble and it took everything within Lyra's El reserves just to keep them off.

"My… captain. My strength is… failing," Lyra mumbled as her grip on her mace loosened. The barrier began to fall.

"Just a little more… time..." Noah said, eyes shut as she hurried with her chanting.

The light faded for a moment and in that moment the monstrous spiders began pushing their way through.

"She said she needs a bit more time, let's give it to her!" Lowe said, taking his blade with his left hand and striking one of the invading spiders down.

Magical orange orbs circled Ara, sweeping the spiders off their feet above her head. With a raised palm an energy vacuum sucked out the spider's souls as more orbs were produced around her.

Elsword moved to the back end of the group, a blue flask already half empty down his throat as he drew his blade. "Armageddon blade!" El surged to the tip of his sword and expanded outwards. The magical sword shined brightly in the darkness and cut into the invading beasts by the dozens. Each swing of his blade easily cut through their numbers yet more and more continued to pour in.

"Above us! Hundreds of them!" Lowe called. Looking up Chung saw the spiders rappelling down.

Multiple targets were highlighted and a hail of Nasod rounds were fired upwards. The white targets were blotted out and Chung supplemented, picking off the reds with his own volley of magical rounds.

Despite all their effort however, more and more poured on them like an unending tide. Even with the assisted targeting from Eve, not all his shots landed and some managed to breach the weak barrier.

Chung unslung his cannon, again, grabbing the reload lever as he topped off he cannon's magazine. Looking over the cannon he located the homing module that Horatio attached: a small box that protruded out near the handle. Next to the box a second firing mechanism could be seen. Focusing his El to that singular point, the small box began to glow a bright white. He looked up at the hundreds of spiders rappelling downward to them. There were so many. Which ones should he hit?

Right on cue, six targets were highlighted in red for the prince to pick out and he palmed the second firing mechanism before pulling the trigger.

The cannon was emptied as the six shells flew out. Each shell glowed a hot blue as his El directed the cannonballs upward in a swarming fashion. The shells dodged and threaded themselves between each spider and each connected with their intended target.

The resulting explosion lit up the entire chamber in a flash of brilliant blue that vaporized all of the rappelling spiders unlucky enough to be caught in the blast.

Chung fell back as the drain on his El was a lot more than he had anticipated. The sheer power of the attack was none like he had ever experienced. Their victory, however was short lived. For even though they cleared the ceiling, the sides and the edge of the chasm still crawled with thousands of spiders that Ara and Elsword were struggling to hold them off.

The armageddon blade had dissipated and Elsword was left picking off each spider one by one. Ara flung the last of her soul orbs into the swarm before resorting to sweeping with her spear again. The bodies that piled around them made it difficult to strike cleanly at this point.

"Today, captain?" Lowe said as he fell to his knees, clutching his right arm in agony.

Noah's eyes shot open and she raised her mace high above her head. A magical white rune appeared at her feet as the icy winds began to form shards that were sharp enough to pierce rock. "Absolute zero!"

The rocky walls surrounding them solidified into ice while the hail shards shredded and froze anyone not within the eye of the storm. The arctic explosion cascaded outward, covering the whole chamber in a white flurry.

It all happened in an instant and just as quickly as the storm arrived, it vanished with nothing but a sea of frozen beasts before the group. Noah loosened her grip on her jeweled mace, letting her hand slide up the handle. With a single, delicate tap of the hilt on the icy floor, the entire chamber resounded in an ear splitting crack as every living thing hit by her spell burst into shards of ice.

It was like glass falling on more glass as the cave echoed the aftermath of her absolute zero spell. Not a thing stirred and Noah let out an exhausted sigh of relief. Reaching for her belt, she extracted a blue flask and quickly downed half its contents before tucking it away and quietly continuing on to the bridge.

"Well… you think you got all of them?" Lowe said in a half laugh. Noah didn't answer. The sergeant heaved as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"You going to be alright, Sarge?" Elsword asked as he helped the man up on his feet.

Lowe looked at the others and saw that, for the most part, everyone was unharmed. "We'll continue with the mission. Elsword… Head on over to the plunger. We'll start heading across the bridge and…"

Lowe fell to his knees again and Ara came to help. "He is unwell. It must be the poison," Ara slinging the bloody arm over her shoulder as she lifted him off his feet. "Elsword. Make the thing happen. I'll carry him."

"I'm just… a liability right now. Leave me here and… I'll walk back to the… medical team after the second set of explosives are… set off."

Elsword frowned and turned to Chung and Eve. "You two head on after Noah and Lyra. Make sure they don't get too far ahead. Ara, take him back, okay? We got it from here."

Ara nodded and began walking the sergeant back to the entrance of the tunnel. Chung and Eve ran after Noah as she was about to reach the other end of the bridge while Elsword hurried over to the stalagmites at the end of the path.

"Captain!" Chung called as they carefully made their way across the stone bridge. Still covered in a layer of ice, both prince and queen had to watch every step they took. "Captain, wait for us! We need to stick together! If you go in too early you might alert the demons-"

The heavy stone doors swung open, causing the prince to slide to a halt. A large demon, round in belly and thick in arms stood before them. His right hand gripped a strange hammer with a long curved handle that partially wrapped around a crudely shaped rock. Bearing a large lower jaw and a small head the demon smacked its lips as a grin slowly crossed its face. "Well what do we have here?" he chuckled.

The demon looked up and around as if looking about the chamber for the first time. "Impressive. To think that this was under us the entire time."

"How…" Chung said, voice shaking, "How did you find this place?"

The demon raised a brow at him. "You humans have a poor understanding of what it takes to be discreet. Demon General Ran knew there was a hidden path somewhere what with all the tremors you've been causing but… of this scale… This is serious," the demon rubbed its chin in thought then turned his tiny eyes to the humans on the bridge. "I better report this to the general…"

Through his muddied hearing ability, Chung distinctly heard footsteps behind Eve. Suddenly, a figure flew over all four of them, landing a downward strike on the demon who managed to raise his hammer just in time to deflect the attack.

"Ara?!" Chung called as she was knocked back from the deflection. She landed on her feet, gripping her spear as her body seemed to glow with an unusual white energy.

Remembering Lowe, Chung looked back along the path to see the soldier lying face first on the ground.

"Ara what are you doing? You have to help Lowe!" Chung yelled.

"Where is he?" Ara said to the demon, ignoring the prince.

The demon tilted its head. "He? Who is this 'he' you speak of, puny human?"

"Ran! Where is Ran?!" she growled.

The demon laughed, "What kind of fool do you take me for? Giving away our general's position? Preposterous."

Ara leapt at him, putting him on the defensive under a flurry of strikes that were parried or outright deflected from the thick demon hide. She landed before him and threw her entire stock of orbs at the demon who was forced to fall back from the assault. Planting her feet she threw her weight into a thrust which the demon side stepped. Ara was quick to react, however and directing her palm at him as she began to drain his soul.

The demon looked surprised at the ability as his soul looked as if it were struggling to hold on to its vessel. With his free hand he gripped the spear and pulled. Ara refused to let go and was thrown to the side as easily as paper. She was slammed against the rock wall, grip loosening as she fell unconscious.

The demon held a glazed look as if his life had just flashed before his eyes. He hobbled over to the body and stood over her, gripping the woman by the hair and pulling her up before him. "This is a dangerous one-"

A shot rang out and a magical bullet connected with his shoulder, burning a pinpoint hole into his thick hide. "Don't you dare hurt her," Chung said as he gripped both revolvers.

The demon laughed and turned to them, holding Ara's unconscious body by the hair in front of him. "I'm afraid her fate falls on you, little human. How about this. You tell me what you and your kind are planning and I'll kill her here and now. Quick and painless. You refuse and I'll bring her up to the others to torture the information out of her. We have our ways of extracting knowledge. Either way she's going to die."

Chung gritted his teeth, "Like we'd just tell you-"

"Is that a no, then? Very well," the demon said with a shrug.

"You still have to deal with us," Noah said, gripping her mace as it began to glow a bright white.

The demon paused and considered her words. "Ah, you're right, how forgetful of me," the demon said with a nod. He turned, winding up his hammer and before anyone could react, he brought the weapon down in a heavy smash that shattered the stone bridge Noah, Lyra, Chung, and Eve were standing on

Still only halfway across the bridge, the four could do nothing but watch as the stone left their feet below them. Chung felt his gut rise to his throat as gravity took him to a freefall, sending him and the other three plummeting into the dark chasm below. The last thing he could see was Ara weakly grasping at her hair as the demon dragged her off through the stone doors.


	13. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken, injured, and isolated, Chung must find his way out of the cave. But what awaits him beyond the caverns?

Chung landed hard on his back, sliding some distance before coming to a full stop. Thankfully the impact was lessened by the soft sand beneath him. He stared up at the stone ceiling above him as he tried to fight back the urge to cry.

"Come on, son! Get up!" he could hear his father calling.

"I… I can't…"

"You can, Chung! I know you can!" Helputt's voice echoed. It spurred his body to move but in his mind had already given up.

"I… I can't beat them. I'm not strong enough. It's no use."

"Your majesty," Advisor Picklebottom's voice could be heard followed by barely audible whispers between the two.

Great, Chung thought, was he going to pull his father away, again? Chung sighed, rolling off his back and onto all fours as he tried to fight back his tears. He didn't want to be a paladin anymore. If it meant getting hurt like this and being shown how weak he was compared to the youngest squires, he'd rather do without it. The prince glanced over at his opponent: a fourteen-year-old boy dressed in his own custom-made Freiturnier that was one size too big. In his hand he carried a wooden practice destroyer with the ends heavily layered in worn straw and linen.

"No, no. Nonsense," Helputt said loudly, "He said he wanted to be a paladin then I'll do my best to make it happen. Best to start him off early, I say."

"But, your majesty, he's only ten! His strength hasn't even developed yet. You're being too forward with this-"

"Chung," Helputt voice echoed in the stone training ground, causing his son to flinch at the volume. "You want to be a paladin, right?"

"Y-yes," Chung squeaked, a mouse to a lion.

"You want to protect others like your old man, don't you?"

"Y...yes!" the prince pushed himself up on his feet, dusting the sand off his knees before attempting to pick up his practice destroyer. It was too heavy. How could he carry an actual cannon if he couldn't lift a fake one?

"And you want to best your old man one day, right?"

"Y…" The prince hesitated, "No?" He heard the heavy footfalls of the fully armed and armored White Colossus approach him as he struggled to hoist the practice weapon over his shoulder.

Helputt laughed, placing a large gauntleted hand on his son's shoulder. "I can't be the hero forever, you know. One day, you're going to have to take up that mantle. But that's far in the future, Chung. For now, you've gotta set an easy goal for yourself."

The king faced his son towards his opponent and, after motioning at the squire, gave his son a hard pat on the back. "So your goal for now is to beat this guy. You think you can do that?"

Chung hesitated before slowly shaking his head. "It hurts, father. I can barely lift my weapon and he hits me so hard. I'm not strong enough to beat him."

The king chuckled, "There's more to combat than strength, you know?"

"There's more?" the prince asked as a look of disdain filled his face. It was hard enough finding the strength to fight but he had to think about more things?

The king saw this and gave him a comforting smile. "Sure. It's about endurance, perseverance, tactical positioning and hundreds of other things that I have yet to teach you."

That only solidified the boy's fears and the grip on the practice cannon loosened, his eyes drooping from his father's use of big words.

Helputt continued, "But the most important thing, above all else, is heart."

"Heart?" Chung asked, tilting his head.

Helputt nodded. "It's the will to fight no matter the odds. And I know, it takes a lot of heart to do that. When every bit of your body hurts and you feel that there's nothing more you can do, you get back up anyway and keep fighting. You could be facing him, or you could be facing a big bone dragon-it doesn't matter who-but when you and your opponent are both on the ground, bleeding and bruised, what's most important is making damn sure that you're the last to get up. Understand?"

Chung nodded.

"I know fighting is scary. Hell I'm still afraid whenever I fight and this is your big man we're talking about."

"Scared? But nobody can beat you. Why would you be scared if you know you can win?" Chung interjected.

"I'm always afraid, son. But I don't let fear, pain, or hopelessness stop me from trying. And that takes heart."

Chung stood there absorbing what his father was saying before nodding to himself.

"Feel better?"

He nodded, again. Slowly at first then more fervently as he gradually grasped what the king was saying.

"That's the spirit, Chung. Ready to continue?" Helputt asked stepping back as his opponent wound up another swing.

"Yes!" Chung said excitedly. He turned to face his opponent at the latter half of his horizontal strike. His excitement drained quickly from his face as he realized what was going on. "Wait. No-"

Chung's eyes flew open as he gasped. His body reeled from the sudden surge of pain that twisted his body to the left as the electrical sensation shot up and down his spine. He didn't know where he was. It was dark save for the soft glow of El in the stone walls surrounding him. Sweat matted his forehead as he tried to get his bearings when suddenly another surge of electricity forced every muscle in his being to tighten, again, contorting him more as he let out a pained cry.

"Good, you're awake," a female's voice said flatly. It was Eve's. Still on his back, he searched around wildly for the source in the darkness but couldn't locate her. Each turn of his head brought a wave of pain and his body refused to move. All the while flashes of red accompanied by sharp yellows and blacks assaulted his mind.

"Over here," Eve said. That didn't help at all. His hearing had somewhat returned but his senses were also being overlapped by Eve's and her calling for him only made it seem like she was right next to him.

Headlights caught his attention and he turned his head to the source: Remy hovered to his right. Amidst the assault of colors, Remy sent him a flashing yellow beacon in his head, coaxing him to follow.

Chung rolled to his right but his arm gave as the feeling of bone pressing against muscle sent a surge of pain through the rest of his body. He rolled on his back and grinding could be felt on his shoulder as his collarbone also shifted out of place. His entire upper right side had been fragmented, it seemed.

"Are you okay?" Eve called.

"What do you think?" Chung said through clenched teeth. He heaved, trying to ignore the pain as he rolled to his left instead. Thankfully that side was, for the most part, unbroken.

"Reports indicate your right arm was shattered in the fall along with your shoulder and part of your collarbone. Had I not reinforced your spine your neck would've been dislocated, resulting in death," Eve reported.

"You know, you sound like you're just fine. How about you come to me, instead?"

There was a pause followed by the sound of struggling. His mind was assaulted with searing hot oranges and spots of nauseating yellows. "I can't," Eve replied flatly.

Chung grunted as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He tested his legs in the dark and found them both to be functioning for the most part. Looking around, he spotted his cannon off to the side, lodged under some bridge rubble. Checking his holsters, his revolvers looked to be undamaged. He made a mental note to inspect them fully before putting them to use.

As he stood, his entire right side hung loosely, its weight pulling at the rest of his body and sending a spike of pain with each wobbly step he took. Remy waited for him to find his footing before lighting his path down the mess of debris he had been lying on.

Stumbling to more solid ground, Chung found himself amidst hundreds of stalagmites as tall as an average man. Each pointed upward at the chasm ceiling far in the distance and functioning as a natural spiked floor. Had he not landed on the debris, Chung figured he would've been impaled by these formations.

"Well. Lead the way, Remy," Chung said as he carefully hopped off the bridge onto a narrow opening between the rock formations.

The drone whistled an acknowledgement and flew through the maze of rocks that followed the remains of the collapsed stone bridge. Chung had to watch his step the entire walk as any slight misstep could cause him to fall on one of the smaller spikes. The prince found himself at the tail end of the collapsed structure where the white drone hovered. As he reached the Nasod, the little white drone turned to a particular wall of thin stalagmites and shined its headlights in that direction. It tilted its head upwards a few times indicating the destination was just over this wall.

White hair on the cold stone floor caught his eye through the walls and as he peeked in he found a pair of golden eyes staring up at him.

"Eve!" Chung called out as he gripped the impeding stalagmite with his left hand. With a hard tug, he snapped the spike in half and he repeated these for the adjacent two. After clearing a path, he stepped through but stopped immediately as Remy shined the headlights on its mistress.

The Nasod Queen was laying on the ground, with a large earthy spike driven right through her lower abdomen and another smaller one through her left shoulder. Red liquid flowed from each and her black drone Moby circled over her, looking to be doing all it can to staunch the bleeding.

"Holy El… are you alright?" Chung asked. He took the large spike that pierced her lower abdomen, breaking it in half with a hard push before kneeling down to help her out. He paused, expecting her to tell him not to touch her but the slight turn of her head away from him and faint green color in his mind was enough to let him know she would allow it.

"Only my reproductive and digestive mechanisms have been destroyed. The pelvic frame is damaged but I should be able to walk with some support. No damage to vital organs have been sustained," Eve let out a pained grunt as Chung took her right hand and pulled her up and off the impaling stalagmites. The colors intensified in his head and for a moment, he, too, could feel what she was feeling from the colors alone. Eve stumbled forward, letting herself use the prince's shoulder for support. Just standing seemed to take a lot out of her as each step was accompanied by a gasp of air.

"The real threat… would be bleeding out. Repairs would have been impossible in the position I was in," she said as she slowly let herself back down, leaning on a stalagmite while her drones immediately began repairing her. "Just… give me a moment to stop the bleeding then… we can try and find a way out of here." Each time she spoke was accompanied with a pained gasp. Each pained gasp was followed up with the same flurry of colors indicating pain. Except each flurry was noticeably weaker than the last. Either the pain was fading or the Nasod was.

"You sure you're okay?" Chung asked. To be honest, Eve looked like she needed a bit more than a moment. Her injuries weren't exactly easy to look at considering he could easily see through her with the hole in her stomach. But then again, she was a machine.

Eve nodded, "We're useless where we are now. We need to… find a way back up somehow… As soon as I've finished, we… should get moving."

"I don't think there's much we can do even if we did find a way out," Chung muttered quietly, "I'm going to go back and grab my cannon. By the way, have you heard from Noah and Lyra?"

Eve shook her head. "While you were unconscious… I've had Remy scour the depths of this chasm. I couldn't find the two humans amidst the few Red Knights…"

"You've found some Red Knights?!" Chung exclaimed, "Where?"

Eve motioned with her head the general direction. "Five bodies over towards the north east. Another two to the west… They're dead. The fall killed them."

Chung cursed under his breath. "And no Lyra or Noah?"

"None."

"How long have I been out for?"

"An hour and fifty-seven minutes. I've been unconscious for… An hour and forty… They must have left… before then. Remy spotted a large passage… towards the north… So it's likely they… went there."

"Okay. Got it. I'll go grab my cannon. You wait here. I'll be right back."

The Nasod said nothing in return and merely leaned back against the stalagmite while Chung retraced his steps back to his weapon. Seven Red Knights dead at the bottom of the chasm, Chung thought, plus the one body at the tunnels meant there were at least twenty other Red Knights to be found. But where were they?

Chung found his cannon and began digging out the rubble with his one good hand. After clearing out enough to grab the handle, he pulled the rest of his destroyer out of the ruins. He slung it over his left shoulder and made his way back to Eve.

He thought about his condition and about Eve's. The state that they were both in offered little in terms of combat ability. He just had to hope they would find a way out of here without running into any trouble. He thought of Elsword, Ara, and Lowe. He remembered that Elsword was on the other side of the chasm when the bridge broke. Lowe had been lying face down in the dirt and Ara had been taken away. He thought of Ara. Why she suddenly left Lowe for dead just to attack that demon was beyond Chung. But then again, this was Ara. That girl has been a mystery since he met her and always acted on her own accord. Maybe it was a mistake bringing her to such a time-sensitive mission.

Suddenly he remembered the mission. He was unconscious then but what about everyone else? Had the explosives been set off? Were the rest of the Velder army still waiting for the signal? The demons already knew the humans had been digging but they should be aware of something definitely happening now that the infiltration team had been discovered.

"You ready?" Chung asked as he stood over Eve. He extended a hand to help her up and she looked at it for a moment before taking it. The moment was barely noticeable but her hesitation and her colors revealed she wasn't exactly keen on relying on Chung for help.

"The feeling's mutual," Chung said as she wobbled to her feet. Still weak from the loss of blood, the Nasod held on to his left shoulder as they slowly began winding their way through the stalagmite maze northward.

Chung's heavy boots and Eve's light, though somewhat staggered, heels echoed in the stony surroundings as they weaved left and right through the stalagmites. Eve's drones lit the way, helping to avoid the uneven terrain. Neither the prince nor the queen said a word to each other as they walked.

Of course moments like these weren't anything new for the two as they seldom spoke to each other unless they had to. This was, however, one of the few moments where they were actually alone. Sure he had spent two weeks under her care in the medical bay but they seldom were in direct contact with each other, much less in physical contact. Back on the Black Crow, Eve would only come in to check on his healing progress every now and then before leaving to go do something else.

Now that they were alone, both in pain and with Eve hanging off his shoulder as they stumbled through the forest of stone, Chung felt inclined to say something. He didn't know what, but listening to the both of them huffing and puffing in the quiet cold air was beginning to unsettle him. There were thousands of spiders. Did Noah really kill every single one? It was hard to believe that her spell, despite its strength, could clear an entire cave of this size of the spiders.

"How're you holding up?" He asked out of the blue.

"Bleeding has ceased… Operating far below suboptimal levels, however… Functionality with dimensional weapons will be minimal... Engaging targets is highly discouraged."

"I mean how are you feeling?" Chung said with a sigh.

"How... I feel has little relevance to my current fighting ability so I've chosen to omit."

"You're no fun to talk to, you know that?"

"I don't see the point... in entertaining you given the situation we're in."

"I was just curious about how you were feeling. You seem to be in a lot of pain so I was just asking out of concern," Chung muttered. Murky grey swirled in his head. She was confused. Of course she would be, he thought.

"But what's more important now is our fighting capability. I assumed that was what you wished to know given our current situation. How one feels or one's need for entertainment should be at the bottom of our priority given how much danger we may possibly be in."

"You know," Chung said as he stared off into the wide tunnel before them, "This is probably why you won't get Elsword's attention."

Amidst the storm of grey, a torrent of warm pinks coupled with hot blues and prickly greens filled his head. At the eye of this storm, a splash of red, small but seething, emerged.

"I don't understand... how Elsword is related at all to our discussion," Eve said flatly.

"Don't worry about it. You're right. He's not related to anything," the prince responded.

They were silent again after that. Conversation all but a failure, the prince decided it wasn't worth the effort trying to talk to the machine. The entire time, Eve enquired further in his head with a mix of colors. Chung ignored her inquiries, opting not to engage in any further dialogue on the subject.

The path they walked on narrowed and gradually rose upward as the tunnel expanded into a large cylindrical chamber. Before them, water flowed gently on either side of the path from a distant water source further up the tunnel. Further up both streams, Chung spotted isolated pools of strange liquid that emitting a strange blue light.

"If that's what I think it is," Chung said, motioning to the pools of glowing liquid, "Things might start looking up for us." The prince gradually picked up his pace as Eve was pulled along while she hung on to his shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked as she was left standing on the raised pathway while Chung veered off to the right of the path. He descended into the shallow stream, icy waters bled through his boots as he waded through the gentle current towards the isolated pool of water.

He stepped up on the stony platform, shaking the water from his boots before peering into the glowing liquid within the natural rock pool. Pulling off his left gauntlet with his teeth, he dipped his hand into the liquid, cupping a handful of the mysterious fluid.

It retained its bluish glow for a moment before slowly fading into nothing but normal clear water. As the light faded, the blisters of combat that covered his palm faded with it. The prince smiled. Fortune was favoring them for once. He turned back to Eve to find the Nasod clinging on to Moby as she clumsily tried to find her footing down the steep hill. Chung sighed and set his cannon down before stepping back into the freezing stream to help her. She stumbled as a rock gave under her weight, and she fell forward, forcing Chung to rush across the water. He caught her over his left shoulder as she coughed from having the wind knocked out of her.

Pain danced in his head and Eve's haggard breath was only intensified as she struggled to get back on her feet.

"If you waited I could've helped you down," Chung said as he gently let her on her feet.

"If you waited for me in the first place… I wouldn't have…"

"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to make sure. Didn't want to drag you down here for nothing," he said, helping her across the water on to the platform.

"What is it?" Eve asked, peering into the blue pool.

"It's healing water. Produced by the Water El Stone and blessed by the Water Priestess. If you sit in here, it should be able to heal you-"

Eve shot him a glance.

"What? It works. My blisters are all gone and-"

"I'm a Nasod. Ignoring the fact that I'd… be getting water into my circuitry with my wounds, will it even heal me?"

"I… uh… that's a good question," the prince tapped his chin in thought, "Why not dip your arm in? The damaged one?"

"I'd rather not," Eve said, completely against the idea of getting in the pool, "Why don't... you use it instead? I could use the time to... repair myself in the meantime."

"You sure?" Chung asked, "It could speed up the recovery process."

"I"d rather not… risk it," Eve said, slowly moving to sit down with her back against the rocky cauldron. With a wordless command and a wave of her hand, the drones began repairing the holes on her stomach and shoulder.

"If you insist," Chung said with a shrug. He began pulling off sections of his armor, taking extra care in removing the plates on his right shoulder. Despite the dim light, everything on the right side of his torso was colored a sickly purple. "This is the first time seeing the healing waters in person," he said as he pulled off his leggings and boots leaving him in nothing but his underwear. "I'm not sure how the process works but I just know that as long as it's still glowing, the water will heal all injuries or sickness."

Eve watched him as he stripped in front of her. Grey swirled in his mind. To be honest he was a bit disappointed that had been her only reaction. Eve read this and the grey intensified. He ignored the question.

"It's rude to stare, you know," Chung said as he climbed into the natural tub.

"So I've heard. I never really understood why," she said, looking away, staring straight ahead this time as the prince took off his underwear and slid into the water. Despite the icy surroundings, the water was lukewarm to the touch. As he sank into the pool with his back towards the Nasod, he felt the pain in the right side of his body slowly fade into numbness. He let out a content sigh with the constant rattle of his bones gone as his arm floated in the pool.

"There's a lot of things you don't understand about us humans," Chung said, leaning back and shutting his eyes. His head hung over the edge lazily, resting on something soft under him. It shifted under him but didn't move away.

"There's a lot of things you don't understand about us Nasods," Eve responded, voice coming from directly under him. He turned his head slightly and he felt Eve turn hers to look up.

He sighed, leaning his head forward, off hers. "I know the Nasods are manipulative. They're strictly goal oriented and are heartless when it comes to dealing with matters of genocide."

Eve was quiet for a moment and Chung felt that she had no rebuttal. It was true, after all.

"I know the same goes for you humans," she responded after Chung had given up waiting.

Chung shook his head. "We're compassionate. We care about others. We take care of our allies and fight for a greater good-generally speaking, of course."

"Is that so?" Eve asked.

"And you think otherwise?"

"I do," Eve began, "I think the Nasods are the more compassionate ones. I think they're the ones that care more about their allies and I believe their actions, though questionable to… some individuals, ultimately benefit the greater good."

"Name one example," Chung challenged, looking over his shoulder lazily. He felt a jab of pain in his collarbone area and his shoulder as bones realigned themselves under his skin.

"Would you have preferred it that King Nasod run rampant and build an army that could destroy Elrios?"

"A Nasod wanted to destroy the world. That doesn't sound like it benefits the greater good at all," Chung interjected.

"He was corrupted, Chung. You saw the corrupted core, yourself. And you insisted on convincing him to cease and desist. That would be like you trying to negotiate peace with a demon general."

"How was it corrupted in the first place?"

"That was a mystery to me until recently. After you left and we answered the call to arms in Bethma and Altera in your absence, we came across a strange Nasod controlling spore. Raven can attest to the spore's abilities if you don't believe me as he was almost killed by his own arm. Had Aisha not have been there I would've fell victim to the spores influence as well."

"Okay, so it was corrupted but you still killed him as well as all your loyal subjects without even so much as a second thought."

"I have thought it through. I can process thousands of scenarios in the time it takes you to think of one. The king was a lost cause, Raven was dying and reasoning was fruitless. I did what I felt was best for my people and for Elrios. I wanted a race built for peace not one built for war so I needed a clean slate."

"But killing off a whole race for their own ideals… It's what Nasods do. That's something I can't forgive your kind for doing. That's what separates the humans from the Nasods."

"Are the two really that different?" Eve asked.

"Of course."

Eve sighed. "Do you know why Nasods are a dying race?"

"It was from a great war that happened two thousand years ago, yes. Aisha taught me about it. A while back."

"Do you know how it started?"

"The El within Elrios was fading, right? And it ultimately became a resource war."

"What do humans need El for?"

Chung shrugged, "A lot of things. Everything from household cooking to warfare to terraforming. El was and still is a staple part of everyday life for us."

"What do Nasods need El for?"

Chung thought about it. "Now that I think about it… what do you need El for. Your kind isn't exactly magical. I can't imagine it's anything as important as-"

"Life."

They were both silent. The injuries on Chung began to fade as Eve's drones slowly began reconstructing the synthetic skin over the large hole in her lower abdomen.

"Nasods depend on El as our source of life energy. We still do. I was there when the El began to fade. I was there when our once symbiotic relationship with the humans began to disassemble. We were very close allies then. We traded our technology and in return the humans gave us El. So close were we to the humans that the synthetic generation-my generation-was created to mirror our closest allies in likeness. That all changed when the El began to fade. And as our reserves ran dry and our families slowly ceased to function, we tried to negotiate-no… we begged your kind for more El that you humans used for your selfish leisures. But the humans refused. War was inevitable.

"Why would humans refuse you El?" Chung asked.

"Who knows. Us Nasods could find no fathomable reason other than the human's flaw of greed. It was a source we needed to survive and they were the hand that fed us. Of course, desperate times called for desperate measures. What happened afterwards you should know by your history books. The war between man and machine began. Over the course of several decades millions of lives, both human and Nasod, were lost. Even after the El returned, the war had gone on for so long that both sides had forgotten why they were fighting to begin with; They just knew that they hated each other.

"But you were alive for all this?" Chung asked.

Eve nodded, "I remembered why. Most of the synthetic models remembered why. Our council tried to negotiate terms for a ceasefire but the humans weren't too open to the idea that they were the reason the war started to begin with. They branded us as liars. Manipulative machines whose goal was to simply eradicate humans. All forms of negotiations failed and the war continued."

"Until we won the war," Chung said with a sad sigh.

"We let you win," Eve said. "The projected casualties of the war, had it continued the way it did, dwarfed our current population several hundred fold. As 'heartless' as you may see our kind, it was an almost unanimous decision to cease production of war assets. Our military units self destructed and our most important leaders were put into preservation pods to wait for a time when the humans have forgotten our existence in hopes that we can begin our relationship anew."

"Almost unanimous?"

"A few were against it. My father was among those but-"

"You had a father?"

Eve nodded, "Well. Not in the way your kind is familiar with. He was my creator so in a sense, yes he's my father and I admired him like one would admire their parent."

"What was his name?"

"Adrian."

"Where is he now?"

"I'm not sure. But when I was awoken from my slumber a millennia ago, it was my father who tasked me with rebuilding our race."

"So he was a Nasod, too?"

"No. He was a human. A Debrian to be exact."

"Wait, how did he survive that long to begin with?"

"The same way I have: through the preservation pods. Though I'm not sure where he went after tasking me with the revival protocol."

Chung couldn't believe it. Eve was created by a human?

"You admired him? But I thought you hated humans. You always talked down to us."

Eve adjusted behind him and despite not looking at her he could sense she was facing him directly.

"I dislike humans for what they've done to our kind. I dislike their selfish unpredictable nature and ignorant attitude they hold towards those they disagree with. You say it is the Nasods who are strictly goal oriented and heartless when it came to genocide but it was your kind that choked out our existence for your own self gain. Your kind denied the Nasods the right to live. That to me is more heartless than my personal choice of preventing the resurgence of the Nasod War by destroying my own kind."

Chung didn't know what to say to that. Her explanation certainly brought more light to her perspective. Yet he still didn't like the idea of resorting to genocide as a solution. As he thought this, a flurry of colors hit him. Yellows and reds. Greens and whites. This was frustration. Frustration and a sense of helplessness. She was asking him what she should have done. No-she was daring him to tell her what she should have done. In truth, he didn't know. He backed down from it. What's done was done.

"I dislike humans," Eve continued. She adjusted behind him again and he sensed she was leaning against the stone again. "There's no doubt about it, but I don't dislike all of them."

"Elsword, for one," Chung stated, tilting his head back lazily, it rested on top of Eve's again.

"My father, for one," Eve corrected, pushing up lightly against his head as she spoke, "My feelings for Elsword are… different."

"But it's not dislike, is it?"

"It's not. But I don't know what it is. It's different from the admiration I feel for my father and the neutrality I feel for the rest of the El Search Party."

Neutrality. Add would be furious if he heard that. "Well how does it feel when you think of Elsword?"

A grey storm formed in his mind. At the center, pink sparks of lightning crackled from it. They were hot, passionate, even. So much so the cloud was vaporized until nothing but pink electricity filled his thoughts.

"I don't know," Eve replied flatly.

"Like you're light on your feet?"

"No."

"Like you have butterflies in your stomach?"

"No."

"Like you can conquer anything as long as they're with you?"

"No."

Chung let out a frustrated sigh, "Then what? I don't know."

"I suppose," Eve began as the electricity exploded into a torrent in his mind, "I suppose it feels like I wouldn't mind if he touched me."

Immediately Chung's mind went to the gutter as the thought of Elsword going to second base with her crossed his mind for the second time that day.

"Not like that," Eve interjected as the thought played out in his mind. She nudged his head with hers again causing Chung to lightly bob up and down over the edge of the pool, "Like this."

"Ah, but without the slapping… Wait, why aren't you slapping me, then?"

"My arm is damaged," Eve said matter-of-factly.

"So then you will, later?"

"If I feel it is justified, yes."

"Right, right," Chung mumbled. He remembered his own arm at the mention of Eve's and he moved it, anticipating a jolt of pain but felt only stiffness at the joints. A few minutes more and he should be fully healed.

"So what's the deal with Elsword, then? I mean what do you find attractive about him?"

"His facial features are easy to look at. It possesses a symmetry that is pleasant and attractive, accentuated by the way his hair naturally parts in a disheveled manner,"

"You could just say he's handsome," Chung said with a shake of his head.

"His attitude, although reckless and irrational, I find endearing provided that it isn't life-threatening. Despite him lacking the average intellect of a typical human, he often surprises me when it comes to interacting with him. In summary, his presence is fascinating to observe and I long to understand it."

The way she described all of this sounded so monotone it was hard to pick up whether or not the Nasod was genuinely interested in Elsword. Asking her these open ended questions was getting him nowhere and he had to dig a bit with more direct ones.

"How would you feel if he courted you?" Chung could have said dated but he felt that would've required some form of explanation.

"I wouldn't mind."

"Okay, would you like it if you were courting each other?"

This time Eve hesitated to answer. "I would."

Now he was getting somewhere.

"Would you like it to eventually turn into something more than simple courting?"

"I would."

"How far would you want to go with him?"

"As far as my feet could take me."

"Er… no. I mean courting-wise. Beyond the hand holding and the, erm, kissing and whatever else. What is the furthest you'd think you'd be willing to go?"

Almost immediately he was hit with a burst of color that he had never seen. It was like fireworks. The sensation wasn't new to him and the prince sensed that this wasn't the first time she's thought of something like this before. She didn't need to answer at that point. It was still fascinating to know that Eve was even willing to go that far for a human. Now that he thought about it, she did mention something about how her 'reproductive' mechanism had been destroyed.

"Why are we even discussing this?" Eve asked, the fireworks fading into a haze of bubbly white and pink.

"Curiosity," Chung stated simply, "To be honest, I expected my time under your care to be a nightmare. I wanted nothing to do with you. Or at least I thought I did. I can't deny that you, of all people, saved my life when I was sure you'd be the least concerned about my safety. This whole brain connection thing we got going also allowed me to see you under a new light. As much as I wanted to think otherwise, you aren't as emotionless as I thought. You even offered to listen to me back when… that thing happened with Aisha.

"The harder I tried to stick with my old understanding of Nasods, the less you fit the description of one. The whole history lesson you gave me earlier? I had no idea we were the root cause of your kind's suffering. It's hard for me to accept of course but if what you're saying is true then how I've acted towards Nasods—to you—goes against the guardian's code.

"What I'm trying to say is… I'm… sorry. Sorry for the way I have treated you all these years. Sorry for branding you as a heartless machine when clearly you're the opposite. Sorry for thinking of you as being less than human. Although I still strongly disagree with what you've done to your kind, I promise to at least treat you like a human."

Eve didn't answer for some time as she seemed to be taking his words into serious consideration. The Nasod sighed and adjusted in her seat under his head. "I forgive you," she said after a long while, "But I'm far superior to your race," Eve added.

Chung sighed, a smile crossing his face, "Right. As you say, Eve. But in all seriousness, this was why I was asking about your thoughts on Elsword. How would you like it if I assisted you in courting him? He is my best friend, after all. I know more about him than the others. Possibly even more than his big sister."

Warm greens. Spritely yellows. Dots of black and white. This was excitement for Eve.

"I'd appreciate your assistance. What are you capable of doing as my personal courting assistant?"

Chung laughed at the new job title he was given but didn't object to it. "Well, what do you want to know about him?"

"What does he think of me?" Eve asked, turning to face Chung.

"Ah… what he thinks of you…" Chung raised his right hand and tapped at his chin in thought. Chilly wind caressed his arm as it broke the surface of the water and it was then that he noticed his sense of touch on that arm had returned. He should be fully healed now.

He recalled the conversation he had with Elsword a few months ago. During that night of the first demon ambush Elsword said something to him regarding Eve. But what was it.

The sound of his own murky rendition of Elsword's words were played back through a projected speaker that Eve generated. "I think Eve's cute… okay?" Elsword said in the recording, "But she's not my... equal?"

"What?" Chung's recorded voice asked.

"You don't feel it? When she talks to you it's like… you're immediately below her. You're always looking up."

Eve cut the feed and nodded in thought as she moved to rest her chin on the edge of the pool. "So I should treat him as my equal."

Chung agreed, "That's a good way to start. Maybe then he'll stop calling you his queen in a mocking way."

"And then do I kiss him? It's customary for human couples to kiss, right?"

"Erm… maybe not right away. You'd want to at least get comfortable with the idea of physical contact with the person you're courting first. Why not try… holding his hand before doing that?"

Eve stared at her left hand and squeezed it. It appeared Moby and Remy had completed most of their repairs by now. "Holding hands… huh?"

Chung nodded. "It's actually still a bit of a leap but that often means something along the lines of mutual dependency of each other. At least that's what I read in one of Aisha's books. That's what humans typically look for in a relationship after all: mutual dependency."

"Mutual dependency… holding hands… Definition updated."

Chung chuckled. "Glad you're learning something," he said as he got up out of the tub of faded blue water. He shook the water off the best he could and began throwing on some clothes before the chill got the better of him. The breeze had picked up and it was then that the possibility of an exit being nearby crossed him. He tested his right arm, rolling his shoulder and swinging his arm in a wide arc. Nothing but smooth joint motion. "I'm about ready, how about you?" he asked the Nasod.

Looking down at her, he saw that the mending process was nearly complete. Her shoulder, underneath the torn fabric of her black Nasod garb, was closed although somewhat concave. The story was the same for the larger hole in her abdomen. Just to the lower right of her navel, a deep pit of pale synthetic skin could be seen with large creases over her skeletal frame. It was unnerving to look at but Eve looked overall much better than when she first sat down.

"Repairs are still ongoing but my overall functionality has been restored," she said, standing with little difficulty. "I will complete the repairs later. For now, we must continue."

"I hear that," Chung agreed.

"Also," Eve added, grabbing the prince's attention. He looked at her and was quickly met with a heavy slap to the face.

"Ouch! What the El was that for?" Chung said, rubbing his cheek.

"My arm was repaired," Eve replied, "Don't use me as your headrest."

A faint light caught both of their attention further up the passageway. Past the several other pools of healing water, far in the distance, faint white light from the moon could be seen through a large cave mouth.

Chung wondered why they hadn't seen it earlier. Surely he could've spotted something as easily as moonlight in a completely dark cave but the two of them had time to sit and chat without even noticing it.

Something from the outside passed over the distant opening as something big moved in view from the left, blocking the moonlight and casting the passage in darkness once again. Chung and Eve stopped along the path as this shadowy object disappeared to the right in a slow lumbering motion.

From where they stood it was difficult to estimate the size but the mouth of the cave in the distance was big enough to swallow a carriage. Whatever it was was huge and as moonlight was cast once more before them, they both realized the stalagmites they had thought to be surrounded by were instead hundreds of living, pulsating sacs of web.


	14. Where Real Strength Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something lurks beyond the cavern's exit. Something gigantic. With their initial plans in ruins, can Chung and Eve salvage the failed infiltration?

The bladed tip of the black Nasod spear cut through the webbing like a hot knife on butter. A corpse fell out. Like many of the others they found, this Red Knight had his innards liquified into a black disgusting glob, waiting for the next hungry Manta spider to feast on it.

"Still nothing," Chung said, his tone reflecting his diminishing hope for the remaining Red Knights. "That makes twelve total dead."

"This one," Eve said, motioning at a wiggling cocoon next to the one Chung had just cut open.

"The wiggling ones have the spiders in them. You know that already," Chung said.

"These ones at least have life in it. If there isn't any motion then their inhabitants are most likely dead. We might as well ignore those."

The prince disagreed but couldn't argue against the logic. Gripping the blunt end of the spear he sliced the web open. Immediately three young manta spiders leapt out of the webbing, one landing on Chung's face as the other two were smacked away by Moby and Remy. Chung struggled as the spider's legs gripped his head tightly. He drew a revolver, digging the barrel into the beast's flank and pulling the trigger before it could sink its fangs into his head.

The legs lost its grip and he quickly tore the dead beast off him.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again: this is a waste of time," Eve said, looking over the hundreds of egg sacs yet to be opened.

"We have to at least try," Chung argued, "How would you feel if you heard help was just beyond these shells and they walked right by you?"

Eve shook her head and began up the path again, choosing to ignore the other twitching cocoons.

"Eve!" Chung called after her. He grabbed his cannon and made his way towards her. "Eve, we just can't leave High Commander's troops behind like this."

"Chung," Eve said, not turning to look at him, "What's more important, right now? The lives of a thousand soldiers or the lives of twenty?"

The prince's brow furrowed, "All of their lives are important."

"But if you had to choose one or the other, which would it be?"

"This isn't a matter of choice, Eve. We save all of them now or-"

"Or…? Or what, we lose them all?" Eve turned to face him. "Do you realize the absurdity of your suggestion? As we speak your allies are waiting for us to either fulfill our objective or attack by sunrise. At the rate we are moving, the battle will be long finished before we even check every single egg sac."

"Are you saying we should just leave these men to die here?" Chung asked.

"Think rationally, Chung. These humans have been trapped in here for a week. If the mutated spiders hadn't killed them by now, dehydration wouldl. My records indicate that Humans can only go a little more than a day without water. These Red Knights are dead." The Nasod turned with a flip of her hair and made her way up the path.

Chung tried to retain his frustration as his grip on the spear tightened. With a loud cry he brought it down on a nearby cocoon, splitting it open and causing yet another digested body to fall out. Thirteen. Was she really right in assuming they were dead? The grip on the spear loosened and as it clanged on the ground, disappearing in a cloud of data.

Eve continued without saying a word yet a soothing wave of cool blues hit him in an attempt to assure him this was the best choice.

"I'll come back for you guys," Chung whispered as he pushed past the hundreds of squirming cocoons. He heard Eve sigh softly and saw the slight shake of her head.

The shadow they had spotted at the cave's mouth never reappeared as they spent a great deal of their time checking each webbed sac. Despite this, they still anticipated seeing it at least one more time before they reached the entrance.

It never happened, however, as the pale moonlight greeted them when they exited the cave. Chung found himself standing at the middle of a steep descent into a giant icy pit. Water trickled in at the opposite end of the bowl. It was difficult to pick out in the reflected pale moonlight but he swore he could see a faint blue glow emanating from the flowing water. Cold winds whipped at the two and Hamel Castle's ruined Ivory towers could be seen just beyond the top of the pit.

"I know where this is…" Chung said, looking around at the ice surrounding them like an enormous glass bowl. "This used to be the site of our healing temple. That explains why there were pools of healing water in the cave. I heard when it was destroyed the healing waters were drained and flooded the old waterways."

"Where's the temple?" Eve asked, seeing as there was nothing before them but an empty hole in the ground.

"This was the first thing the demons destroyed," Chung said with a heavy heart, "I remember. The demons knew this would be the first place our injured would return to so they immediately leveled it before commencing the invasion. They hit this place so hard the ground gave beneath it and it sunk into the earth. The ice must've frozen over the ruins a long time ago."

"To think demons were capable of this kind of power…" Eve muttered, scanning over the icy bowl.

"You don't know the half of it. Resiam was flooded with their manipulation of El. This is just another reminder that we can't take their presence lightly."

"Chung," Eve said, pointing towards the center, "Look over there."

The moonlight had cast a faint pale light over the bowl so it was difficult to really see anything amidst the rough edges of ice. But near the center his eyes caught movement. And it was big. He squinted at it and saw that the white surface was indeed moving about. Eight white legs, as thick as the trees at Ruben forest, shifted about as the back legs spun a thick web from the creature's abdomen. The beast's rough white hairs almost melded perfectly against the pale ice yet now that he knew he was looking at he felt his spine crawl.

This was a manta spider. A giant one. Where the previous ones were as large as a dog, this one dwarfed all of them. From this distance he could see that its main body was easily bigger than a two-story house. It shifted as it spun, revealing a deep blue underbelly and only then did Chung and Eve notice two small cocoons under it, wiggling madly about as the spider queen wrapped its victims in its webbing. Faint screaming could be heard.

"You don't think those are…" Chung began.

Eve finished his sentence, "Noah and Lyra. Most likely."

"C'mon!" Chung said, tapping her on the arm as he leapt from the entrance and slid down the length of the bowl. He drew his revolvers and fired at the giant spider. The bullets pierced the beasts carapace with each shot, sending a small spray of greenish yellow blood as the beast turned its entirety towards him. It was only then, as he continued sliding towards the beast, that he realized just how reckless of a move this was.

The giant spider's thorax expanded as it let loose a stream of green fluid from its fangs at the prince. Chung planted his arm into the icy surface, veering off to the side and narrowly dodging the fluid. As the fluid came in contact with the ice, it fizzled and popped, turning the hard surface into a deep hole that revealed a hollow underground beneath the ice bowl. He continued to dodge and duck past the acidic spray before using the cannon to launch himself high above the spider.

He didn't need the homing module for a target of this size. As he reached the peak of his aerial climb, he pulled the lever once more to load the last round before palming the secondary mechanism of his cannon. With a pull of his trigger, the prince sent a downward salvo of bright blue missiles that hit the spider's back like a shower of comets.

He fell, watching the cloud of ice and smoke dissipate and found the spider queen horribly marred in the back as large plates of carapace were blown clean off, leaving its exposed yellowish-green innards open.

Yet despite its disfigurement, as Chung rolled onto the ice before the beast, it persisted. Chung slotted another cannon round but quickly swapped to his revolvers again to keep moving. It raised its forelegs high above him, baring its giant fangs at him as it let out an unearthly hiss. It shifted from the center of the bowl, extending its legs to its full length as its carapace absorbed shot after shot. Each magical bullet penetrated its carapace but so large was the beast that the minor pricks into its hard shell did little to faze it.

Still running along the slippery surface, the prince leapt to the side as the beast lunged forward, throwing its weight into its bite as it sank its teeth into the thick ice with an earth shaking crash. Chung fired twice more into the beast's head, using the strength of the revolvers to push him further along and he rolled backwards towards the side of the spider's head as it pulled back for another strike.

As his roll came to a stop he paused to regain his bearings but immediately found himself pinned on the icy surface from one of its forelegs. The pressure was immense as it threatened to crush him under its leg and Chung gripped it as he tried to wiggle free. The giant spider wound up for a finishing bite but a line of plasma rounds cut into the pinning foreleg, causing the spider to fall forward as the leg buckled under its own weight. Looking up, Chung saw Eve still standing at the cave entrance, hefting her atomic blaster.

Warning colors filled his mind as the entire spider was lit up in red with Eve's assisted targeting. The joints of the spider's legs were highlighted yellow as she tried to disable it rather than outright kill it.

The Nasod's weapon began winding up again as a hail of plasma rounds erupted from the barrel in a bright flash that lit up the entire bowl with each round fired. The shots were like a bright laser show as the rounds cut through the air in a white streak, connecting with the beast and burning deep cuts into its carapace.

With a heave, Chung threw the segment of broken leg off of his chest as the spider shrieked in pain. Its remaining seven legs turned its body. The bowl shook with each step, causing sections of the ice to collapse under the tremors and fall into a much deeper chasm.

Amidst the cracks of ice, Chung could hear the screams coming from directly under the giant spider. Glancing down, to the center of the bowl, he could see the two bodies jostling around as the spider's legs pounded the surface dangerously close to either of them. Eve's enhanced targeting marked them in blue and the immediate area surrounding them in bright red. She wanted them moved to safety. More and more segments of ice collapsed and the prince leapt to his feet and made a run for the center, dodging and weaving past the legs and leaping over gaps of ice.

With one giant leap, Chung landed at the center of the bowl between the two bodies. They continued screaming and Chung moved to one, using his hands to rip open where he thought their head was.

"Lyra! Lyra calm down, it's me!" Chung said as he recognized the face immediately.

"Chung!" Lyra shouted back as the sound of screeches and plasma fire filled the air around them. "Chung where's the captain? Where is she?!"

"Here. Calm down, she's right next to me," Chung said, patting the cocooned body next to him.

"Captain? Captain is that you?" Lyra called as the screaming on the other cocoon died down.

"Lyra? Lyra are you okay?" Noah's muffled voice could be heard through the thick webbing.

"I'm… I'm fine, captain. Are you… did it bite you?"

"No! But I can't… Get me out of here!" Noah shouted.

"You heard her. Get her out now before-"

The red zone at Chung's feet flashed red and no sooner had it begun flashing, the ice gave under them. In that split second Chung did what he could to toss the cocoons away from the falling ice. First was Lyra then, just as the ice pulled away from his feet, he gave one final heave, tossing Noah's cocoon as far as he can up the bowl before grasping desperately at the air for anything.

His hand just barely caught the edge of solid ice and he found himself staring down a completely black void. The pale ice that fell around him seemed to continue to fall forever as the darkness swallowed each chunk. He quickly swung his other arm upward just as he felt his grip beginning to slip. The fighting above him intensified as rockets and flames filled the air. More and more ice collapsed around Chung as he tried to pull himself up.

Just as he was about to pull himself free from the drop, he was suddenly pushed back towards the edge again as Lyra's cocoon came sliding over the edge. In that split second, Chung grabbed at the webbing, catching the very tip of the cocoon leaving Lyra to hang perilously over the void.

"I gotcha!" Chung panted. He adjusted his grip on the ice above him but found its slippery surface nearly impossible to hold on to. Another explosion above them and flakes of ice battered the two as they hung helplessly in the air.

"Chung?! Where's Noah?" Lyra yelled. She was hanging upside down.

"She's fine. She's up on the surface. Though at this rate I don't know if-"

"Let me go," Lyra said, already aware of the situation.

"What? No! You know I can't do that."

"Let me go, Chung! Do it or we're both dead."

"Lyra, just hang on, okay? I'll figure a way out of this," He struggled with his grip, only managing to slip further over the edge.

"Chung… just let me go."

"No!"

"Do it, Chung! Better me than both of us."

"I… I can't do that. Not when I can still save you."

"You can't, Chung. I've… I've been bitten."

"What?" Chung said, almost losing his grip from what she said.

"The spider queen bit me… It… hurts inside. I'm dying anyways. It's only a matter of time before-"

"We can save you! Useli. The medic team. We can help we just have to-"

His hand slipped again and in that moment he sincerely considered letting her go. The shame and disbelief that washed over him killed him inside faster than the deadliest venom.

"Chung… Please…" Lyra said. "It's over for me."

Chung stared up at the icy surface then down at the life that hung at the mercy of his grip.

"It's fine," Lyra said in a barely audible whisper.

She was right. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do to save her. The longer he held on, the further he slipped into the void. She was a lost cause.

The prince let go.

The webbing slipped through his fingers and it took everything he had to stop himself from taking hold again. The white cocoon vanished into the void, leaving Chung to stare at nothing but the deep blackness below him.

He couldn't believe it. He killed her. He killed Lyra. He felt his entire being tremble at the realization and it took everything he had to find the will to turn back upward and climb back to safety.

As he pulled himself out onto the icy surface, the bowl echoed a symphony of shrieks and weapon fire. Two of its remaining five legs were blasted off at the joints and the beast came crashing down head first into the ice. The collapse shattered the surface and its body fell through the gaping hole, causing the rest of the bowl to crumble under its weight as it slid.

The bowl continued to crumble until nothing but a single peninsula of ice remained with Chung and Noah's cocoon perched precariously at the tip. The prince sat on his knees, completely out of breath as he stared into the deep chasm before him. Even the spider's immense size was completely swallowed by the void. Had Lyra hit the bottom?

The thought sickened him and he could do nothing but dry heave at the idea that he, a guardian, willingly took an innocent's life.

On the opposite end of the bowl, hanging on a solid ledge of ice, Eve could be seen watching the two. Grey colors enquired about his condition and he shoved the damned Nasod's thoughts away as he turned to the cocoon and began ripping at the webbing in a fit of distraught rage.

I killed her, he thought.

I killed her. It's my fault.

She died because of me.

I couldn't save her.

I killed her.

I killed her.

I killed her.

"Chung!" Noah cried out as parts of her armor were literally ripped off her as the prince freed the captain from her webbing.

He stopped, eyes wide as he tried to get a grip on reality. But the reality was that he killed Lyra.

"She's gone!" he shouted at the bewildered captain.

"Gone? Who is?" Noah asked as she tried to fix the straps back onto her breastplate.

"Lyra!" he yelled.

Noah blinked. "Gone… w-what do you mean gone?"

"She fell! She fell down the chasm. She fell."

"And you didn't save her?!" Noah asked, fury rising in her voice.

"No…" Chung said, curling in on himself. "No… I let her go. She asked me to and I listened. There was no other way…"

He heard Noah pass him as she stood at the edge of the strip of solid ice. She stared long into the void. He turned to her. He didn't know what to say. Sorry wasn't going to cut it.

"So," she said in a trembling voice, "it's just me, then." She stood there, hand gripping the mace tightly to her chest. "Five hundred Royal Guardsmen. An entire chapter under my command. And I'm the only survivor."

Chung stared at his hands. The entire time he tried to figure out a solution. How could he have done better? What could he have done to save Noah's last soldier.

"Noah… Captain, I-"

"I lost… so much on this gods forsaken kingdom," Noah mumbled, taking a step closer to the edge. "And for what? For Velder? What do they even hope to gain from throwing so many lives away here?"

Chung slowly reached out towards the captain. "Noah… don't… don't you dare."

She extended a hand outward over the void as shards of ice fell from her hand, falling into the chasm in a brilliant display before being swallowed by the void. The captain turned her head towards Chung, tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Chung… relax. I'm a soldier. A soldier with no one else to call family but a soldier nonetheless. I'd be a laughing stock to my brethren if I took the easy way out, here." She turned back to the void, clasping both hands together in deep prayer. The captain stood there at the edge of nothing as the wind whipped her cape back and forth. "Goodbye, Lyra. Until I see you, again."

The captain stepped away from the pit and turned to make her way out of the destroyed ice bowl. She removed her gauntlet as she passed Chung, running her arm over her eyes as she steeled her resolve and continued with renewed vigor up the cliff. With a wave of her mace, the ice bent to her will, forming a staircase around the entirety of the destroyed temple of healing, even giving Eve at the other side of the ruins a foothold to climb up from.

Seeing the sudden shift in resolve from Noah was incredible to say the least. Chung sat there on the ice, reflecting on his own resolve. He stared at his hands; the hands that ended the life of a friend. For Noah to bid farewell and immediately turn to more important matters…

"What's most important," his father's voice rang in his head, "Is making damn sure that you're the last to get up." He stood, gripping the cannon at his side and followed Noah out.

"What are you going to do next?" Chung asked he caught up with the captain, "The infiltration team failed their part of the mission. We won't be able to attack with these conditions."

"Have we?" Noah asked as she ascended the bowl. She turned to the prince as he reached the top. As Chung followed, the roar of something other than the wind filled his ears. In the distance, a large mass of Velder troops charged headlong into the crumbled first wall. Their footsteps thundered loudly as the Black Crow in the horizon fired a volley of artillery into the castle's courtyard.

"What… how?" Chung asked.

"I think we have that friend of yours to thank," Noah said, watching as the mass of troops met with a tide of demon resistance. "Elsword, was it?"

Chung couldn't believe it. The operation was still moving forward. He looked over at the other end of the bowl to see Eve just about to reach the top.

Another stream of greys filled his head and he nodded lightly in her direction. "Let's retake the castle."


	15. The Assault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan has been set in motion. The invasion of Hamel Castle has begun and Chung and Eve must hurry to assist the troops fighting at the front line. But with Elsword and Lowe nowhere in sight, is their push through the most intensely guarded fortification enough to claim the castle?

A flash of orange and yellow from distant cannons. Then came the thunderous crack. Like geysers of rock and fire, the ground burst from the explosive impact as artillery shells hit the castle’s large courtyards like iron rain. A second flash. A second crack. Again the ground was devastated in a symphony of explosions.

The demons who were lucky enough to survive the first volley were torn to shreds by the follow up. And then came the flood. Like a tide, the full might of Velder’s forces poured through the collapsed first layer in a single resounding battle cry.

Still they resisted. Like a shadow growing at the absence of light, the demons flooded out from the safety of the stone walls to meet them. The Velder soldiers welcomed it. Steel met claw. Arrows and bolts of magic clashed as the continuous battle cry was then accompanied by the clash of blades and spines.

Velder’s mounted cavalry led the charge into the first courtyard, picking off targets of opportunity and breaking the defensive formations of the regular demon foot soldiers. The demon line in the first courtyard began to crumble as the men and women on foot arrived to back them up.

In response, mounted demon striders were deployed to pursue the cavalry, leaping from the high second walls and pouncing on top of the unaware bird mounts. Each successful jump resulted in the demon tearing off the necks of the giant birds with the ferocity of a giant panther. The sentinels upon their backs picked off the surviving bird riders with expertly placed shots, giving the demons time to form a defensive response.

Velder’s spearmen filed in, forming a wall around the flanks and limiting the strider’s movements while the standard swordsmen brought up the middle. Crushers were ready to meet them, swinging their giant fists wildly about and decimating their ranks with each blow. Yet every swing of their fists were met with dozens of blades to their torso as the Raven-trained soldiers stabbed, sliced, and gutted their way through them.

“Hold the line!” A soldier shouted as a crusher was cut down by the sheer number of steel that came its way. “We have them!”

Two more crushers went berserk. Emitting a desperate roar, they used their enormous arms as battering rams and charged headlong into the spearmen. Spears were driven into their softer torsos, yet they were relentless in their charge. Breaking the flanks on either side, the striders finished off the last of the mounted cavalry and dove into the pockets of Velder’s defensive line, breaking the formation from the inside as they clawed and maimed their way through the Velder troops.

One of the crushers came to a screeching halt in the middle of its charge as something stopped it midway. Moving its large fist aside, it spotted a black-haired man with a Nasod core on his back. The core’s spines were driven into his limbs, reinforcing his strength as he was able to completely stop the towering beast with just his left arm. The crusher roared, raising its arm to crush him but the arm was quickly severed with a precision cut at its shoulder joint. Before it could even roar in pain, Raven had already severed its second arm, and before it could even reel from it, it had already lost its balance from its severed leg.

Raven landed, ridding his blade of the sick purple blood with a quick swing of the sword before the Nasod core detached itself from his limbs. A low growl caught his attention and he spun around, blade pointing at a mounted strider.

A twig struck the strider’s flank, digging into its scales and catching its attention as it shrieked, looking for the source. A second resounding shriek came from the strider at the opposite side as a green twig dug into its neck.

The sentinel glanced down, noticing yellow sap bleeding from the twig. She reached over to pull it out only to have her arm completely destroyed from the following explosion. The strider fell over, a large hole in its side where the twig used to be.

The same fate followed the second strider as the twig embedded in its neck--separating its head from its shoulder. The sentinel on the second strider was thrown off her mount and was sliced in half right across her waistline before she even hit the floor.

Rena wiped the blood off her cheek and sheathed the holy blade glowing in her hand. “Press the attack!” She shouted as the ranks tried to close the gaps created by the crushers.

“We can’t!” A soldier yelled, pointing at the distant second wall. “Not with the shadow defenders picking us off!”

Rena peered at the wall. These shadow defenders were essentially a floating cluster of dark El infused with the demons’ will. So strong was this will that it manifested in the form of multiple spines which were fragmented and flung at the incoming soldiers with deadly accuracy.

Several of these defenders lined the walls and each one projected an aura of dark energies about them. These energies made the air thick with miasma around the wall and with each breath the other nearby demons took, their size and ferocity grew.

Rena nocked an arrow, charging it with explosive magic with a single breath before loosing it. The arrow took form of a branch, sprouting leaves and growing as it cut across the air to its intended target.

As soon as the arrow entered the miasma, however, the El quickly faded. The twig began to disintegrate, becoming nothing but a chip of wood by the time it tapped the shadow defender.

The empowered crushers, striders, and walkers began their counterattack. Blades that once pierced their scales glanced off as the demon forces fought with renewed vigor.

“Take down those shadow defenders! Now!” Elesis commanded. Leading the remaining Red Knights into the thick of battle with their swords ablaze, the Red Knights carved magical runes into the thick scales which ignited into a blaze at the slightest introduction of El. The burning demons roared in pain--yet the flames only pushed them further into their berserker state.

“It’s no use,” Rena shouted from the back, “Our arrows can’t get through the miasma!”

“Maybe this can,” Aisha said in a trembling voice. Finishing her spell and raising her staff to the air, the sky above them turned a bright red as three large meteors came hurdling from the heavens.

Despite its impact force being mitigated by the potent miasma, the burning spacial phenomenons still came crashing through into the defenders, doing it’s job and completely wiping out the line that was closest to the gates. 

“That should at least clear up some of the miasma…” Rena scanned the battlefield. 

Sentinels took the fallen defender’s point and began raining arrows onto the invading forces. The second gates were still closed. Crushers still rampaged through their ranks, but staying longer to clear the first courtyard only gave the demons more time to shore up the defenses. They needed to get through the second wall soon. “Where’s Elsword?!” Rena called.

Elesis looked about. The elf was right to be concerned. With the fighting that had been going on, the infiltration group should have had plenty of time to scale the walls and open the gates by now. “Bring in the battering rams!” Elesis yelled, as she cut down the last of the shadow walkers and moved to avoid the rain of arrows and spines. The order was repeated down the line, towards the back. “Didn’t want to have to resort to this... but if Elsword and the others don’t open the gate soon, we don’t have a choice…”

The order was answered and the army’s three remaining battering rams appeared within the wall. Pushed by ten soldiers each, the lumbering siege weapons were an easy target for the archers who took the opportunity to pick them off.

“Defend the battering ram with your lives!” Raven shouted. Another crack of thunder and the courtyard just beyond the wall lit up as the long range artillery began shelling the enemy once more.

Spearmen joined the train of battering rams, raising their shields as they escorted the slow moving weapons. The crushers deep in the mix of Velder troops saw this and immediately turned to the battering rams. The combined forces of spears and blades tried to put them down, but the empowering miasma caused every strike to bounce off as if they were simply striking steel. Dozens of these empowered demons focused on pushing through the bodies of soldiers to reach the battering rams.

“Incoming!” Elesis bellowed, as she drew in the surrounding flames into her sword. She ran her hand across its length, the black steel igniting in a brilliant blaze of fire. “Infernal blade!”

She sunk the heated blade into the nearest rampaging crusher. El rushed to the blade and the crusher burst into carbon-melting flame. Elesis withdrew the blade, narrowly dodging an arrow, and pressed on to the next crusher.

Even with her strength, Elesis wouldn’t be able to down every single crusher in time. Raven summoned the core once more, adrenaline increasing the energy output of his arm as electricity began to crackle around him. He leapt high into the air, embedding his sabre into the thick skull of a crusher just a few steps away from reaching its target. The beast collapsed face first into the dirt, sliding to a stop a mere inches from the battering ram as the soldiers continued to push it towards the gate.

“Giga drive, activate!” The core responded and drove its spines into Raven’s limbs once more. He gritted his teeth in pain as he ripped the blade out and immediately moved to the next target. Arrows whizzed by his head as the core guided his body under and around the shower of arrows and spines from the high wall.

He ran his blade through a crusher. Dozens of blinding strikes all melded deceptively into one as he passed and the crusher burst in a shower of purple blood before collapsing, lifeless on the ground.

Another crusher stood before him, arms out and moments from pulverizing him. The core on his back activated and his blade became a blur of white steel. The crusher stood no chance. Although it stood at twice Raven’s size, the demon was cut to ribbons.

Elesis flew by, cleaving a crusher in half just as it crushed one of the battering rams with one powerful strike. The men that pushed the now-destroyed weapon dispersed in a panic--Elesis grabbed one by their collar, throwing them over to the nearest available battering ram.

“Keep moving!” Elesis shouted at the remaining two. The lead battering ram was moving much slower now as only half the crew was left standing from the constant rain of arrows.

“Rena? Those archers?” Elesis yelled.

“I’m trying! There’re just so many of them!” Rena replied, nocking arrow after arrow in an attempt to pick off the equally agile dark elves.

“I got it!” Aisha shouted from behind them again as she raised her staff with her right hand, an empty flask of mana in her left.

Another ball of flame was sent hurtling from the heavens. It slammed into the high wall segment above the gate with a resounding boom, bursting into a conflagration and killing several of the sentinels attacking the battering rams. Despite the punishment, the Hamelian walls stood.

“Great job. How about another one of those to actually break the gate with?” Elesis asked to the mage.

“I… I can try to. It’s not exactly the easiest to aim with,” Aisha responded, extracting another flask of mana and forcing its contents down her throat. It visibly took everything the mage had not to vomit the contents back up again and she held her mouth shut until her stomach gave up trying to push the poisonous fluid back out. “Just… just give me a second.”

“We don’t have all day-”

“Look out!” Rena cried as Elesis was smacked away by a crusher. Her body was sent sailing over the remaining battering rams and she hit the wall with a painful snap.

Elesis gasped, falling to the ground.

“Elesis!” Raven screamed, rushing to her side.

“The battering rams!” Elesis coughed as she watched as the same crusher that struck her then proceeded to pick up one of the two remaining battering rams and snapped it in half like a twig. “Don’t worry about me, you idiot-” She let out a pained wheeze.

Raven gritted his teeth and left Elesis where she laid.

“Defend the last battering ram!” He ordered as the soldiers moved to form a defensive line around their last siege weapon.

The crusher pushed its way through the line along with another two. Raven was on the move again, with the core nearly out of energy, he needed to do what he could to take out the remaining three--or else the battle would be lost.

He ran his blade through the crusher that struck Elesis, severing the foul beast’s leg, thus slowing down its progress towards the remaining ram. Raven quickly looped around its front as the monster made an attempt to swat him away. Raven dove in with a flash of steel, severing the demon’s arm.

“Finish it off!” Raven shouted to the other soldiers, stepping on its head and pushing off to the next one.

Next target was already tearing the last battering ram to shreds. That was it. It was over. Either they were going to wait for the infiltration team to open the gates and die to a rain of ranged fire or retreat. He gripped his blade. Until that call was made, they had to hold on.

“Over here!” Raven taunted at the demon, striking at the shoulder joint. Power left him, however, as the core attached to him ran out of El. The strike didn’t cut all the way through and the blade was instead wedged within its arm.

It wailed in pain, immediately turning to Raven and snatching him in midair.

Raven croaked as it held him upside down in its hand and squeezed. Raven opened his mouth to scream but no air left him as his ribs cracked under the immense pressure.

“Raven!” Rena gasped, as her heart stopped at the sight of the mercenary at his death throes. Before she could think, her body was already moving, fully drawing an arrow on her bow. In one breath she poured all her remaining El into the shot, empowering it with a bright green glow. “Rail stinger!”

She loosed the arrow and as it left the bow, it exploded in a burst of speed that broke the sound barrier. The arrow connected with the crusher on its side. The arrow didn’t pierce but instead pushed. At the point of impact, the scales buckled into itself, bending inward, sending a ripple of immense energy up and down its body and forcing the demon off its feet. So fast was the immediate change of speed that the crusher ragdolled one way while the arrow pushed it the other. The demon released Raven, his body was sent flying some ways as the demon struck the second wall with such force that a crack formed.

Rena had nothing left. She sighed as the drain of El made her weak on her knees. It was reckless of her to spend all her El in one attack... but for Raven…

Her job wasn’t finished yet. She hurried to Raven’s side, carefully picking him up and listening for any signs of life. He couldn’t breath. Not with his ribs destroyed like that. She had to attend to him or else-

The ground trembled under her. She spun around, drawing her holy blade as a fist came crashing down on her. The blade shined with blinding holy light, creating a barrier that prevented the demon from striking her. The air sparked around them as she had to focus all her strength just holding the demon’s attack at bay.

The barrier cracked. The demon was far too powerful to hold back with holy power alone. Her arms trembled as she pushed back with all her might. An arrow struck her on the side, digging into her abdomen. Her legs gave and she soon found herself on one knee. “Not like this,” she said through gritted teeth, “Not… like this.”

 

Meteors fell from the sky with a deafening crash as fighting continued within the wall. With cannon slung and revolvers holstered, Chung, Eve, and Noah hurried to the destroyed first layer as quickly as their legs could carry them. The meteors were a good sign. That meant Aisha was still alive. As for everyone else…

He pushed the thought out of his head as he held onto the hope that everyone was still okay. This was exactly the situation he was hoping he could keep his friends from. As the three of them drew closer, they could make out the more finer sounds of battle. Flames being expunged from a point, the explosion of a sonic arrow.

“The last ram has been destroyed!” He heard a soldier call as the message carried through the rest of the remaining Velder troops.

“Aisha!” Chung yelled, grabbing the mage’s attention as she attempted to summon another meteor from the heavens. She snapped out of her trance-like chanting only to bring her hand to her mouth as she spotted something within the walls.

“Aisha, I’m here!” Chung said, grabbing the girl by the shoulder as she looked up at him, confused as to why he was on this side of the wall. She quickly shook her head and pointed.

“Rena’s in trouble!”

That was all she needed to say and he followed her finger to a specific point within the first courtyard. Through the carnage and destruction the prince spotted a green elf near the second gate, locked in a losing battle versus a towering demon with large fists.

“Eve!” He called as he sprinted as fast as he could to Rena’s side.

Without a word the Nasod summoned a hornet stinger. Taking careful aim she pulled the trigger, sending the missile flying over Chung’s head as it threaded through the battlefield and connected with the demon, obliterating its arm at the joint and leaving only half its torso as the remaining part fell dead before the Night Watcher.

“Rena!” Chung panicked, rushing over to the elf. The Nasod and Ice Princess followed. “Are you okay? Where’s-”

He froze. Raven was on the ground, blood oozing from his mouth. No. Not after losing Lyra.

“Raven!” Chung whispered, voice shaking.

Rena was out of breath. The arrow lodged into her side bled profusely and her eyes darted from Chung, then to Eve, then to Raven. “I-I couldn’t save him. I’ll do what I can to stabilize him… Elesis is over there too. I don’t know how she is but she’s badly hurt as far as I can tell… more importantly... what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be-”

“It’s a long story,” Eve replied. “What’s the situation, elf?”

Rena never took her eyes off of Raven. Even as she spoke she did so cradling the man’s body. “Our means of getting through the second wall are shot. We’re getting picked off the longer we stay within this courtyard. We either retreat or we find some way to get through the gate,” Rena said.

Eve nodded. “Understood. Chung?”

“Got it,” the prince affirmed, loading a metal slug into the cannon and mounting it on his shoulder. “Rena. Not far North of here is a pit where a healing temple used to be-”

“I’m not abandoning this battlefield.”

“I’m not losing another one of my friends today,” Chung stated, glaring down at her angrily, “We’ll take it from here. Just grab someone else to help carry Elesis. Go North to a pit. You’ll find a passage that leads to the tunnels underground. There are healing waters in there that can save Raven and Elesis.”

Rena looked at Raven, then at Chung who waited for her to get moving.

“Be careful,” Rena said, lifting Raven’s broken body in her arms.

“Just go. The longer you wait the less likely they’ll survive. Go!” Chung commanded.

Eve and Noah covered their ears as the slug punched through the gate and continued onward over the layers of wall and onto the horizon. The cannon was bright red from overheating and he dropped it to the ground before it could burn the side of his face off.

The sight of the destroyed gate rallied the remaining Velder troops as the call to storm the second courtyard resounded among the men and women fighting within the wall.

Red warning colors flashed in Chung’s head and he turned to Eve.

“Incoming artillery strike from the Black Crow,” she warned.

The sound of thunder filled the skies again and moments later the area beyond the wall was bombarded by long range shells.

Eve brought up a holographic window as the masses of Velder troops passed by them, storming the second gate.

“Human.” The Nasod Queen called and an image of Add instantly appeared. He looked to be busy managing the weaponry of the ship as steam billowed behind him and the sound of churning gears could be heard reloading the gun batteries.

“Yes, Beautiful?” He nonchalantly replied, not taking his eyes off his work.

“Cease bombardment. We’ve breached the second wall and are initiating the final phase of the operation.”

“Shall I bring the ship in for close range support, My Queen?”

“Do as you wish.” Eve said in a clipped voice, dismissing his pet names and ending the call without a goodbye. She turned to Chung, “Shall we go?”

Soldiers pushed past the prince and he noticed a tall lanky one followed closely by a short wide one with a body that was square in every possible way.

“Roger…” Chung mumbled, watching as the two disappeared through the gate.

“Chung,” Noah said, grabbing his attention. She pointed at the cannon which she caked with ice. “Not sure if that helped, but…”

Chung picked up the cannon. It was still warm to the touch, but it wasn’t overheated. He tapped it against the ground, shaking off the frost and nodded at her. Without a word he followed the mass of soldiers into the breach with Eve trailing close behind.

“Eve, I have a new job for you,” he announced as they cleared the ruined gate, “Roger and Mud, remember them? I want to make sure they make it out of this alive.”

They stood at the other end as several hundred soldiers engaged the scattered sentinels and demons waiting for them on the other side.

“Is their survival necessary?” Eve asked as her assisted targeting scanned all minute details of each soldier in the courtyard at lighting fast speed.

“Just look for them, Eve,” he instructed, as the targeting eventually highlighted the two individuals locked in battle versus a single shadow walker. “There they are. Let’s go!”

“Why are we focusing on their safety over the mission?” Eve inquired as they dodged and evaded the skirmishes that filled the second courtyard.

“Just do it, Eve! I’m not losing another one of my friends!” He shouted angrily at her.

The colors of rejection swirled in his head and the Nasod simply nodded. “Understood.”

Roger fell on his back. His sword was knocked away as the demon towered over him with a victorious roar. It brandished its claws, ready to disembowel him, to which Roger raised his hands defensively, and his comrade Mud jumped in front of the older man to defend him.

Chung charged in, throwing his weight into the demon as he knocked the beast off balance before following it up with wide sweep of his cannon. He drew his revolvers and unloaded a flurry of magical rounds which shredded the beast.

“Chung!” Mud sighed in relief as the prince searched wildly around for additional threats.

“Chung? Holy El it is you,” Roger said, getting back on his feet. He searched around for his blade and picked it up just as Eve’s white drone flew in casually, intercepting an arrow that would’ve caught Roger in the neck.

“Now’s not the time to relax. Are you two okay?” Chung worriedly asked.

“We’re doing fine! Save for just now when that big old walker thing had me on the ground. Me and Mud here both scored a kill each. I got one of them strider thingies and Mud managed to kill them big fisty types.”

“Mud punched him ‘til he made dead!” Mud pridefully boasted, flexing and showing off the deep torn skin on the square soldier’s knuckles. It looked painful.

“And uh… Leo… Aw El. Where is that useless… He was here just a minute ago.”

“He’s not with you?” Chung wondered, looking about. “Eve? Can you find Leo?”

The Nasod squinted at him. “No. I fail to see the significance of these soldiers survival.”

“Hey, Chung’s a good kid,” Roger defended, “He’s just looking out for friends.”

A flash of red and Moby moved to intercept another arrow as Eve stood there, crossing her arms at Roger. “He should also look after the well-being of his country. The lives of a few is outweighed by the lives of a nation.”

“Eve!” Chung managed through gritted teeth. “Okay. Just stay here, secure the courtyard, and make sure Roger and Mud are safe. Got it? I’ll look for Leo and then we storm the castle.”

“Might I remind you that the other human, Ara is somewhere within the castle. I’m sure you’ve put her on priority as well.”

“Yes! She is, but… I’m just trying to save everyone, okay? I just need you to help me just this once. Alright?” Chung said, leaving the three to search for Leo.

“You can’t save everyone,” Eve cautioned to him as he left. Chung didn’t answer and began his search for Leo.

Chung moved from skirmish to skirmish, helping when the opportunity arose but ultimately prioritized locating Leo. As he fought, he learned just how resilient these monsters actually were. Bullets bounced off their scales, but those that did penetrate did little to faze them. Chung found himself having to pour a lot of El into using revolvers just to down a single demon. This was all to find Leo. Frankly, he didn’t like the kid that much. But he was indeed a kid, recklessly signing up for a job he couldn’t handle was what children did, and Leo was throwing his life away being here. Chung needed to make sure he’d get home safe where he belonged, and not hiding between some barrels while his comrades died around him.

Chung then realized he had been searching in all the wrong places. He searched between skirmishes. Under destroyed rubble, between crates of old supplies, behind collapsed pillars.

It took a bit, but he eventually found a young man cowering in the open next to a segment of undamaged hedge, too afraid to move.

“Leo!” Chung called, rushing over to him. The young man did not respond and merely covered his ears and squated down with his head between his knees.

“Leo, c’mon, man! You’re exposed out here! You have to move!”

“No! I don’t want to die!”

“Then get out of here if you don’t want to die!” Chung responded, motioning at the exit.

“Penensio said! He said deserters will be killed on sight! This is safest!”

The yelling caught the attention of a few of the sentinels that were still on the wall. They spotted the prince in his white Hamelian armor, and one whistled to the others, directing the attention to him.

They fired at the two from above, and Chung unslung his cannon, dropping it by Leo and pulling the young man behind it to use as cover.

“Leo! You’re going to die out here if you don’t keep moving. I can’t leave my cannon here. Not when I need it to fight-”

The sentinels had caught the attention of a variety of demons and before Chung knew it he found himself surrounded, with the sentinels jumping down from the high wall.

The prince cursed under his breath. He couldn’t use his cannon here. Not while Leo needed it for cover.

“If only these revolvers actually killed these demons with one shot instead of a hundred…”

“Weak points?” Leo suggested, watching the sentinels and doing his best to put the cannon between him and the ranged threats.

“I don’t know their weak points,” Chung said.

“There was a… a practice session with Raven and Lowe. Weren’t you there? We went through extensive detail-”

“Just tell me!” Chung demanded as a strider leapt at him.

“Striders!” Leo scratched his head furiously as he tried to remember. “Legs!”

Chung diverted his natural instinct to aim at the head and placed two shots on its front legs, causing it to fall forward, unable to move.

“Crushers!” Chung shouted.

“Upper torso. Near the shoulders!”

The prince swung around to meet the crusher, unleashing a volley of rounds at the designated points as the crusher threatened to knock the cannon away. It froze in place as the El shard embedded within it shattered. Another crusher advanced on them and Chung repeated the process, leaping over Leo to cover for him as he pumped magical rounds into the monsters shoulders. It didn’t even have a chance to roar in pain as the El within it was obliterated, causing it to fall lifeless before them.

“Walkers?” Chung asked, ducking an arrow that whizzed over his head. He shoved Leo into a more proper position of cover behind the cannon as an arrow narrowly missed him.

“Naval area. Slightly to the right and low.”

Chung planted three shots into the nearest walker mere moments from pouncing Leo. The third shot hit the sweet spot, causing the beast to fall lifeless as collapsed in front of them. The prince spun around, placing two shots at the same general area, garnering the same result. He knew where the sweet spot was, now. He turned again, clocking the walker standing behind him in the chin before placing a shot at the demon’s weak point.

“The strider’s still moving,” Chung said, as the first one tried to push its way towards them with only its hind legs.

“By the leg joints! Front leg joints!”

Chung followed, planting three shots into the beast before it collapsed dead on the ground.

“Sentinels are left,” Chung noted, moving with Leo as they kept the cannon between them and the two sentinels on the other side. He had to be quick on the draw for these ones.

“Their weak spot is-”

“I know,” Chung affirmed. Popping out of cover, he rolled into the open, firing from the hip as he fanned the hammer of his revolver, striking a sentinel in the head while the second managed to loose an arrow. Chung brought a hand up defensively, and the arrow punched through the soft underside of his forearm armor plating. His second revolver was raised and he pulled the trigger, the round catching the second sentinel on the neck before he followed it up with a shot to the chest.

Chung gripped his right arm in pain. And to think it was just fully healed not too long ago.

“Dear Lady El… are you alright?” Leo asked, looking around first before checking on the prince.

Chung nodded, wrenching the arrow free from his forearm with much effort. Doing so only brought an immense amount of bleeding that quickly filled the gauntlet with blood.

“How about you?”

“I’m… perfectly fine… Wow… We were like a team, huh?” Leo mused, looking about the pile of corpses around them.

Chung sighed. “Leo. I’m going to need your help storming the castle. Can you at least help me with that?”

The look of uncertainty was enough of an answer.

“Leo. Your information was the reason why we even survived this encounter. I’d like your help, even if it’s a little, since I don’t know what I’ll be running into inside the castle. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

“I… I’m not sure if I should…” Leo stammered.

Chung called for Eve in his head, and she pinged him back with a flash of green, followed by a fade in of grey with the thought of Mud and Roger being painted in his head. He nodded and got another flash of green.

“C’mon. You’re coming with me.”

He picked up Leo’s only means of cover and slung it over his shoulder before hurrying through the large courtyard towards the castle’s main building.

He spotted Eve further ahead, accompanied with Mud and Roger who appeared to be winded from the run.

“This… this bitch just keeps moving. It’s like she’s… well, yeah, she is a machine but…”

“Chung,” Eve greeted as they stood at the grand stairway that led to the castle’s throne room, “We’ve managed to dispatch a number of enemy resistances in your absence. The courtyard should fall under our control soon.”

“She just… kept moving from fight to fight like… gods damn…” Roger commented in wonder as he tried to catch his breath. “So… what we doing up here? We’re not going to wait for the others?”

“We can...” Chung said, looking at the Velder troops still fighting the remaining demons on the courtyard. “But Ara’s stuck inside there somewhere. We have to hurry and save her.”

“Ara… that’s the girl with the long black hair, right?” Roger asked.

“She’s… she’s pretty,” Mud added with a nod.

Chung pushed the giant stone doors open and the hinges groaned as early morning light shined into the dark throne room. “We have our exit here. If things get out of hand, you know where to run to. Be ready.” With that final caution, Chung gave one last push and the doors swung wide.

Greeting them was a ruined blue carpet that rolled out to the darkness deep in the throne room. Not a sound was heard within and the five cautiously entered.

Grim memories of this room resurfaced in Chung’s head. He remembered hundreds of scared villagers piled into this one room. He remembered the look of fear in all their faces. He remembered how hard it was to move around because of the amount of people inside.

Yet, now it was completely empty save for two shadowy figures near the throne. One was tall and slender. The other was wide and carried a strange curved weapon which he recognized earlier. This was the one that kidnapped Ara. They were talking to each other casually as if an attack had not happened at all.

“Demon!” Chung angrily shouted, his voice echoing off the marble. The two shadowy figures didn’t acknowledge the group.

“Demon!” he repeated, “You’ve lost this day! This castle belongs to Hamel once more!”

The two stopped conversing and the slender one turned to them.

“Does it?” The demon asked in an amused tone. The figure’s eyes began to glow a deep red. Suddenly, red eyes appeared all around them. Before they had a chance to react, black chains lashed out at them from all directions snaring them and pulling them to the ground.

A chain found its way around Chung’s neck and as he tried to wrench it free, he felt his strength quickly leave him. Looking around he saw the others, including Eve and her drones, on the ground, the chains slack around her, but it was like she couldn’t find the strength to stand.

The slender figure laughed. “I wouldn’t claim victory just yet. In fact, you’re far from it… Prince of Hamel.”

The figure stepped into the light. Dressed in black scale lined with a shade of red, this demon stood before them with a strong resemblance of an actual human being. Medium white hair framed his face and two horns protruded upward from his head.

Chung struggled under the bindings. It felt like he was underwater where each move was sluggish and difficult.

“You can’t even stand before a demon general and you claim to have won. How confident you must be to barely win a battle we gift wrapped for you?”

“What…?” Chung questioned, looking up at the demon general as he knelt down in front of the prince. A clawed hand lifted the boy’s head by the chin and for a moment, Chung felt the cold pointed tip press against the jugular of his neck.

“Bobosse was kind enough to inform us of your little plan, and thanks to another certain someone… we’ve been able to get your exact soldier count as well as overall strategy. We’ve decided it’d be better to let you borrow the castle… after testing your mettle. Which was disappointingly weak.”

The walls began to rumble as the sound of an incoming airship filled the throne room. The demon’s eyes narrowed, watching as the Black Crow flew in and began saturating the ground with its automated turrets.

“That ship, however...” The demon began.

“Who… who told you?” Chung demanded as he tried to get up, with little success.

“Why… her of course,” the demon answered as he turned his attention back to the prince. He motioned behind him, stepping aside as the rising sun caught a figure sitting on the throne. She was unconscious and shackled to the royal seat. Her face was marred with bruises, and her clothing had been torn from what looked like whiplash.

“And my, what a reunion it has been for me. To think of all people… you bring her to my doorstep.”

“Let her go…” Chung said as he tried to struggle under the bindings. Ara’s head drooped forward, and in that moment he was reminded of Lyra. He stood, fighting against the strong chains that would otherwise force him to the ground, throwing everything he had at the demon in front of him before the chains made it physically impossible to reach him. Still, the general stepped back in slight surprise upon seeing Chung managing to get on his feet. “Let her go!” He yelled with such ferocity that for a moment, the general was unsure of the demon bindings that held the young man.

The demon cleared his throat. “Like I said, you’re free to borrow this castle. We have more important things to worry about than a small incursion for a piece of land that doesn’t matter to us. Meeting with your father, for one.”

“My… father?” Chung fell to his knees, strength leaving him at the mention of the king.

“I didn’t believe the reports at first... but oh how ecstatic he would be to know that his son is finally back.”

“Where is he?” Chung shouted, venom in his voice, “I’ll kill you if you don’t tell me where he is!”

“He’s safe, Prince. Though. Whether you’ll see him again or not however, is completely up to you.”

Chung struggled against the bindings again. “Tell me where my father is! Tell me this instant!”

The demon general simply ignored him and nodded at Bobosse.

“What do you want me to do with the girl?” the large demon asked, swinging the hammer over his shoulder as the general climbed the stairs to the throne where Ara’s body sat in an almost holy light, standing out from the otherwise darkness of the room.

The demon general extended a clawed hand to the unconscious foreigner and lightly brushed her hair away from her face. She stirred. “Make sure she watches her friends die.” He ordered with a sadistic undertone, a small smile playing on his lips. 

“Ay,” Bobosse said, stepping down from the stairway. The demon general opened a rift in space and walked through it, the fissure vanishing in a puff of purple haze.

Ara woke as the large demon stomped over to the five still chained by the energy-draining bindings, and as the sun crested the horizon, tiny demons could be seen hiding among the shadows bearing the bindings that held the prisoners in place. It took her a moment to figure out where she was, but the sight of her friends on their knees immediately caught her attention. The sight of Bobosse only confirmed her fears. The girl fought against her bindings, as she tried to find a way off the throne.

“It’s a shame,” Bobosse grumbled, shaking his head as he approached them, “I was hoping to be able to face you in combat… but General Ran wants me to be quick about it before the castle is overrun.”

Bobosse stood over Eve first, lifting her chin with the mallet, which she quickly pulled away from.

“A Nasod. You’ll be first. It’s not satisfying killing your enemy’s comrades when you know they don’t feel emotion from it. Nothing personal.”

Eve blinked, and she looked at Chung as the mallet tapped her head and he lined up his swing. He was wrong. They do feel emotions. For in Chung’s head he felt a mix of fear, desperation, and a thought process that begged him for help. She was begging him for help. Chung’s lips trembled as he watched her helplessly. It’s okay, he thought, just look at me. Eve’s golden eyes locked with cyan one last time.

Bobosse swung the hammer upward and brought it down on her.

“No!” Chung cried, a rush of panic shuddering throughout his body, an emotion he never thought he’d feel for a Nasod, of all things.

“Armageddon Blade!” A voice roared through the throne room, and the hammer connected with a shining blade of pure El, glancing off of it and sending Bobosse reeling back in surprise.

“Elsword?” Chung called, his voice filled with hope that was lost just a moment ago, looking into the shadows as the blade remained in front of Eve to shield her.

Another shadowy figure swooped in from the high balconies and beheaded the little demon binding Chung at the neck. They immediately turned to the others binding the Velder soldiers, kicking one to the ground and driving the blade into it before moving to the next.

As the bindings fell from Chung he slowly felt his strength return and he struggled to get back on his feet. He was curious, though, seeing as there were two figures, one bearing the armageddon blade and the other was going about freeing the others from their bindings.

“Big guy’s all yours, sarge!” Elsword’s voice echoed throughout the room as the shadowy figure freed Roger and Leo.

The magical blade shifted as Lowe stepped into the light, turning to Bobosse and gripping the blade over his head with one hand. His right arm was missing; a stub in its place as the sleeve had been torn off. From the look of it, it seemed like it had been lost years ago. Yet, he had the arm a few hours ago.

“Thanks,” Lowe said, placing himself between Bobosse and the five captives. “I got a bone to pick with you, making my escort drop me on the floor like that doesn’t look good for us leader types.”

Bobosse watched as the captives rose to their feet and he took a step back, vastly outnumbered by them.

“You’re not going anywhere, demon!” Lowe said, pivoting his leg and leaping at him with blade in hand.

Bobosse raised his weapon, blocking it as the magical blade dug into the hilt of the weapon. Lowe landed, rolling and turning his momentum into a horizontal sweep. The demon planted the hammer vertically on the ground, absorbing the impact and forcing Lowe to change his strike. The sergeant withdrew his blade and changed his angle of attack. A series of thrusts followed as the blade kept the demon on the defensive.

Bobosse side stepped a thrust, batting away the blade and immediately closed the distance, hammer raised as he brought it down on Lowe. Lowe raised the magical blade, meeting the strike with an explosive impact that redirected the blow up the tip of the sword. Lowe retaliated, swinging the blade around in a wide sweep. At this range the demon couldn’t avoid it, and he raised the hammer, blocking it with the thick pommel of the weapon before pushing the weighted end at Lowe.

Lowe ducked it but quickly picked up by the head by the demon’s free hand. Like a pinata, the demon held him above the floor and swung at him. Lowe raised his blade again and the hammer connected near the blade’s guard. The blade shattered. Weakened by the acid damage from earlier the magical blade dissipated leaving Lowe with nothing but a broken sword.

Bobosse smiled, tossing the human to the side easily. “You are incapable, human. Perhaps if you had both arms you would have had a chance.”

“Lowe!” Elsword moved to assist but the sergeant stopped him.

“Everything’s fine… kid,” Lowe grunted slowly rising to his feet. He changed his grip on the broken blade. “Have a little faith on your old teacher. I still have a few more tricks up my sleeve…”

“I don’t need my right arm… and I don’t even need a blade to kill you!” The soldier declared while staring straight into the demon’s eyes. 

The demon chuckled. “Oh? And how do you suppose you’re going to do that? By beating me to death with a pommel?”

Lowe grinned. “You can say that.”

The man charged, El surging through his body and coalescing into the broken blade.

“Your Armageddon blade is useless,” Bobosse haughtily laughed as Lowe lined up a swing.

The first blow struck the demon at the belly. El connected and began to glow as Lowe continued the momentum of the swing, spinning over once more as the fuse to his explosive strike has been lit.

“Double… Slash!” The broken blade connected with the El, activating it and filling the room with an ear deafening explosion. Bobosse was completely engulfed by the burst of El and for a moment the blue room was lit up by a blinding flash of light.

Nothing of Bobosse remained after absorbing the brunt of the strike except a crater in the middle of the throne room. Even his hammer had been wiped out of the face of Elrios. For a moment it felt surreal seeing the only thing standing between them and complete control be vaporized so indiscriminately in a single powerful strike. Even Elsword stood in awe from the sheer power of the blow.

Lowe took a moment to catch his breath as he turned to the others, wiping the blood from his lip. “Help your friend over there,” he said to Elsword while motioning towards Ara. He turned his attention to the five at the door. “And how are you? You all alright?”

“Y-yeah…” Chung replied, strength returning to his body.

Lowe nodded. “Good,” he staggered, “Good…”

The sergeant’s eyes rolled upward and he collapsed.

“Sarge!” Roger and Leo both called out as they ran to their officer’s side.

As Chung recovered from the drain of stamina, the entire courtyard erupted in a resounding cry of victory. The demons were retreating. Hamel castle belonged to the humans once more. But that all didn’t matter to Chung.

Even with the songs of victory that filled the halls, even with the purging of the full retreat of the demon threat, and the Velder banners that hung proudly on the castle walls, Chung didn’t care for any of it.

What mattered most to him was the knowledge that his father was alive and that the demon general was simply letting them “borrow” the castle. Whatever that meant.


	16. She Depends on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the botched infiltration, the castle siege was an overwhelming success. As the Velder army begins to set up fortifications, the members of the El Search Party finally have a moment to catch a breather.

"And you're certain of this?" High Commander Penensio asked hesitantly as the remaining ten Red Knights were sent north to investigate the healing temple ruins the prince had found.

Chung nodded, "Yes. I've found a few bodies inside the web sacs throughout the cave so there may be a few still alive in there. I've also sent Rena with Raven, Elesis, and one other to the healing waters I mentioned. If there're any critically injured soldiers, then I highly suggest sending them there as soon as possible."

"Understood," Penensio then turned to the soldiers who had just finished chaining up Ara despite Elsword recently setting her free, "After you take her away, grab the any of the critically injured and take them North. Our medical team is busy enough as is."

"Come on! You heard the High Commander! On your feet!" the Velder soldier said, tugging on the chains and forcing Ara off of the throne and onto her feet. A second hard tug forced the black-haired girl to nearly tumble down the stairs, had the two soldiers not been there to catch her.

"T-T...ung" Ara's voice was heavily slurred and haggard as she was escorted past the prince. "H… helf."

She was taken away. As soon as High Commander Penensio was briefed on the situation, he ordered her immediate detainment for questioning regarding the information she leaked to the enemy. She didn't resist either. Even if she wanted to fight back, she was far too hurt to physically to put up a fight. Hair had been pulled from her scalp, one of her eyes was swollen shut and her jaw looked to be broken. She walked with a heavy limp as they dragged her off, and the young woman even collapsed as she reached the throne room door, forcing the men who were escorting her to lift her upon their shoulders .

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Chung asked in concern as her body sunk out of view.

Penensio sighed, "That's really up to her. If she complies we won't lay a finger on her."

"But look at her! First of all she can barely speak our language, second she's in no state to talk."

"She's going to have to for the sake of our survival out here. This isn't about her safety, Prince Seiker. This is about the safety of our world."

Chung couldn't deny the truth in Penensio's words, but he also didn't agree with how they were treating her. She didn't deserve this- not after what she went through that landed her in that spot in the first place.

"How's your arm?" Penensio inquired, turning the conversation to him.

The prince didn't say anything and looked at the hastily bandaged arrow wound on his forearm.

He heard the High Commander approach him from behind. "If you're concerned about her you can see her tomorrow," Penensio reassured him while patting the prince on the shoulder. "We'll give her a night's rest to think about what she's done then we'll begin questioning her. Until then we won't touch her. You have my word."

"What about her injuries?" Chung turned to the High Commander.

"That new medic,Useli I believe her name was, will tend to her. After seeing the work she did with Lowe I'm sure Ara will be fine under her care."

"What do you mean?"

"You've seen Lowe's arm right? It's remarkable really. I'm glad we've found a medic of her caliber."

The prince hadn't actually seen the medic work. Now that he thought about it, he found it odd that they selected her over the other veteran medics in their army to participate in such a dangerous mission. He made it a mental note to see her work at some point.

Penensio patted him harder on the shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up. "Relax, Prince Seiker. She's in good hands. And we've won this day. That should be cause for celebration!"

"And what about what that Demon General said to me earlier?"

"About how we were 'borrowing' the castle?" Penensio rubbed his chin, "That is a cause for concern and I've already assigned our engineers to fortify this position for the possible counter attack. We're being cautious but as long as we have the Black Crow here we should be at a huge advantage if they're looking to take it back."

The high commander released Chung from his tight grip and pushed him forward before turning to leave. "I'm going to speak with Denka regarding our follow-up strategies. To be honest… I didn't expect us to make it this far in the campaign. Your return here has been a boon for all of us. You and your friends, actually. We're lucky to have you here."

Chung blinked and turned to face the High Commander. Penensio smiled at him proudly.

"When you first arrived, I honestly thought you were going to die on your first mission. You came in when we were grasping for straws, trying to retake control of what we lost. Had you failed that mission to retake the waterway then we would've simply packed up and left. Your return is the reason why we were able to retake our lost territory. You're the reason why we were able to take your castle. When this is all over, I'll make sure Velder will properly recognize you and the others for your valiance."

"Thank you," Chung said.

The officer shook his head. "No, Prince. Thank you."

The High Commander left and Chung stood there reflecting on what he said. Life in Hamel has been so fast paced in the three weeks he's been here he hadn't had time to appreciate the progress they've made in pushing them back. Maybe Penensio was right. Maybe he should just relax and revel in the fact that they've won another major victory against the denizens of hell.

The Hamelian looked around the empty throne room, taking in the nostalgia as he reminisced his childhood. He couldn't find any good memories of this particular room though. The only reason he would even be in this room were to greet emissaries or listen to long winded speeches of politics and business that he took no interest in.

"Chung," he heard Eve call, followed by a light nudge on his side by Remy.

"What is it, Eve?" he asked, spinning around to face her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. A bit nostalgic right now but good. Why?"

"No physical pain or anything?"

"Other than the hole in my arm, no."

Hearing this, she extended her hand towards him and data began to flow from his body towards her.

"What… are you doing?"

"I'm dissolving the alloy reinforcing your skeletal frame. With the battle won, now would be a good time to let your bones fully reconstruct themselves."

"Does this mean we won't be able to read each other's minds anymore?" the prince mused.

Eve shook her head as she continued the removal process. "I want to monitor your health at least until I'm certain you won't be needing my nanomachines any longer. Don't worry. Removing the nanomachines is significantly faster and easier than removing the alloy."

"Shame. I was actually getting used to the idea of being able to read your emotions."

Eve looked neutral to the statement. Of course, she always did. "The feeling is mutual… that reminds me, however…"

With her free hand she opened a projected window and typed in a few commands.

Immediately his mind was struck with a torrent of sickly purples, empty blacks, and blinding greens. So strong was the wave of emotion that hit him he felt like he was going to be knocked off his feet. His body trembled as the feeling of loss took him. The mixture of data that hit him made him feel empty; devoid of anything. It was terrifying. Chung violently shook his head, bringing a hand to his temple as the feeling was giving him a migraine.

"What… what is this?"

"You tell me," Eve said, rubbing her arm as she stood in front of him with downcast eyes, "This was the data recorded moments after Lyra was killed. And again before Lowe and Elsword came to rescue us. This was the emotion you were feeling when Bobosse was about to execute me."

The data playback was cut off and for a moment the prince stood there, visibly shaking and heart racing, as if he had just relived those moments once more.

Eve continued, "Unfortunately, this particular set of algorithms has never been activated in this order before so I've never given it a name. What would you call this emotion?"

"Grief," the prince muttered. "I was grieving. It's a mix of helplessness despite wanting to do everything I can to undo what happened or what will happen."

"Understood," Eve replied flatly, "Definition logged. This is an emotion you felt for Lyra where you wished to undo the situation which lead to her death."

Chung nodded.

"This is the same emotion you felt for me despite nothing happening afterwards."

He tilted his head slightly, averting his cyan eyes. "Well… you're my f… friend after all." The young man had to ask himself why he felt so put off calling her his friend.

"Out of all the intense emotions you've felt this one seems to be the least beneficial in its given situation compared to the others you've experienced. It did little to help in my situation."

"You don't need to tell me that, Eve," he whispered, frustration trembling in his voice.

Eve recognized this immediately. "Chung," the Nasod said sternly, grabbing his attention, "I'm not reprimanding your basic human emotions. I am simply learning them. So forgive me if my methods are straightforward."

"It still hurts."

"In an attempt to improve your overall mood: I appreciate the sentiment. I suppose the appropriate phrase would be: 'it's the thought that counts'. I'm sure Lyra would feel the same way."

The prince raised a brow at her and she kept her golden eyes fixed on a distant object to avoid eye contact. The gesture wasn't much on the outside, but in his head he saw a mix of greys, warm yellows, and soft pinks.

He gave her a soft smile. "You're… trying to console me. Aren't you?"

Eve nodded, though the colors of uncertainty still swam in his head.

It was cute. It was poorly executed but it was cute nonetheless.

"Thanks," he sighed.

Again she nodded, pulling her palm away from the prince. "Alloy removal successful. How do you feel?"

Chung stretched his back a bit, rotating his torso. He noticed a sudden surge of soreness up and down his spine. "It hurts a little."

"Then consume a health potion when you can to expedite your healing process. Afterwards I'll remove the nanomachines-"

The door to the back of the throne room flew open as Elsword kicked his way in."Yo, Chung, where's the bathroom here? You have like a million rooms."

"Back through that door you just walked in," the prince instructed, "hang a left until you hit a small set of stairs. Go down one floor… it's the third door to your right."

"Downstairs? That place gave me the creeps," Elsword grumbled before retracing his steps back through the door.

Chung shook his head and observed the Nasod standing in front of him. She was staring at the door Elsword had disappeared through.

"So when are you going to try and court him?" Chung casually asked.

Eve spun around to face Chung. Hot pinks filled his head yet her face was as straight as ever, if anything ever so slightly red.

"I mean he's been wandering this place looking for a bathroom for well over an hour, looks like. You could catch him when he comes back. Don't worry. I'll leave you two alone."

"But I don't know how to court him," Eve disputed, "I'm far from prepared. He is still dressed in the sweaty disgusting clothes he's been fighting in and I'm not even properly dressed for such social interactions. This is not how I envisioned it. It's supposed to be in a more appropriate setting. And furthermore-"

She continued firing off reason after reason before her personal courting assistant raised his hand to silence her.

"It's not going to happen right away," he explained, "Looking for that perfect moment doesn't necessarily mean he's going to fall for you."

The queen shook her head. "Then I won't. I'm not ready."

"Eve. When I say court I don't mean for you to start dating him right away. You have to start small. Just talk to him."

"About what? I haven't prepared a list of topics to discuss with him."

The guardian shrugged. "Anything really."

The answer didn't fly well with the Nasod and the colors of frustration began to stir.

"Remember what he said in your recording? He's looking for someone that treats him like an equal. So start by treating him like one. Talk about things that interest you and try to find common ground. It'll take a while but once he's warmed up to it you can start using both your favorite things as a means to spend time together," Chung explained. He was practically reciting Aisha's books on relationships at this point.

"Common ground… common ground…" the Nasod repeated. She glanced up at Chung, "Will you be available to provide topic suggestions should I require more to engage in dialogue?"

"What? No!"

Eve tilted her head. "Why not?"

"You said it yourself. You want to be alone with him when courting him."

"When he's courting me," she corrected, "And you don't count. You're my assistant. Like Moby and Remy."

He ignored the comparison and pressed on. "It's the same either way. More importantly, it'd be awkward if I was around telling you what to talk about right in front of him."

"True…"

"Just try and talk with him, okay? Then look for me. We'll discuss what you did right and wrong."

"Understood… when do I kiss him?"

He sighed. "No kissing. Not yet anyways. The first step would be holding hands... I think."

Eve stared at her own hand. "Right… establish mutual dependency," She said, remembering the conversation they had earlier.

Chung shook his head, "But even then it's still far too early-"

The door flew open once more as Elsword came in yet again. "Thank El!" He cried in relief, "I've been holding that since we got on the boat last night."

The prince laughed and waved the redhead over. "That's cool, Els. By the way. Eve here wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah?" The Lord Knight replied cautiously, walking over as Chung's mind filled with Eve's color pallet for panic. "Now… before you slap me for something, I want to remind you that it was us that saved your royal bum... so a little thanks is in order."

Elsword stopped at Eve's side, leaning on Remy which the white drone protested in a series of annoyed chirps. "So how can I help you, Your Majesty?"

The entire time Eve was looking at Chung, waiting for him to start a conversation for her.

"I gotta go find an alchemist," Chung muttered quickly, feigning ignorance and turning to leave. He quietly gave Eve a thumbs up. The colors of panic remained.

Treat him as your equal. I'm sure you'll do moderately good, Chung thought, doing his best to hide the doubt from her.

"So how does it feel? Does it hurt at all? If there's any discomfort you report directly to me, okay?" The medic asked as she held the stump that was Lowe's right bicep. She was a young woman. Pale in skin with short straight black hair and bright, hypnotic green eyes. Her most distinguishable feature that separated her from the others were her ears. They were pointed, though not as long as Rena's, and in fact could almost be mistaken as human ears had they been tucked in a certain way under her locks. More unlike an elf, she was short. Just under Chung's height. He hadn't had a chance to speak to her much except on the boat, but Chung remembered her mentioning her father was an elf but her mother was a human. Half-elves were a rare sight in Elrios and she had been Chung's first encounter with one.

She was quite attractive, as well. Her pointed nose and the feminine way she postured herself subtly turned a few heads during the initial three day trip to Hamel. The fact that she was friends with Syrel also added to her popularity among the new recruits at the time.

"Sure thing, doc. And, uh, thanks again for what you did back there. Don't think I would've made it if you hadn't followed after us," Lowe said, though somewhat uncomfortably as the half-elf prodded his stump of an arm.

"No problem! You just try and get some rest. Though if you find it hard to sleep I have a few medicinal herbs to assist with that. I imagine it'll be a difficult first day without a limb."

"Y-yeah… Thanks, again." Lowe turned and left the makeshift medical tent, regarding Chung with a nod as the prince stepped in.

"Good afternoon, Prince Seiker. What can I do for you?" Useli spoke with a smile and slight tilt of the head. Pure and genuine kindness emitted from the beautiful young girl, giving off a relaxing aura.

"Ah… I need a health potion for this," Chung pointed at the bandaged arm, "And Eve removed the last of the metal she had in me so my bones need to heal over for that, too."

"Have you drunk any health or mana flasks in the past twelve hours?" Useli asked as she pulled out a detox elixir.

The young man shook his head, "No. No. I'm clean."

Useli paused then returned the elixir in its storage before rising off her seat to open a cooler she had been sitting on filled to the brim with red flasks. She dug through the ice and withdrew a small health potion the size of a standard water bottle. "Sip this throughout the day. Not all at once, though, otherwise it'll run through your system faster than the bones would have time to heal under its effect… Oh and while you're away, I'd like to speak with this Eve I keep hearing about. According to the reports, you shouldn't have survived with your injuries when you fought Victor. What she did for you was remarkable."

"I'll be sure to let her know," Chung smiled, "Yeah. I sort of owe her one so I'm trying to hook her up with Elsword right now."

"Ah... He's the one that Aisha keeps fawning over, right? Well good luck to her, then. You know, Aisha stopped by asking where the guy was."

He nodded his head dismissively at that. Frankly, he didn't want to be reminded about how Aisha was 'fawning' over Elsword at this time. "I see, well thanks, Useli. I'll let you know if I need anything else."

"I won't be available for a while," the medic said with an exhausted sigh, "Penensio just assigned me to watch over that Ara girl. Apparently she's being held prisoner? I don't know the details."

"She's been beaten up pretty bad. The demons managed to kidnap her and interrogate her for information about us. I'm a bit worried for her actually…"

"Oh! Poor girl. She seemed like such a nice person. I'll do my best to make sure she recovers… I should probably see to her then as soon as possible." With that, Useli began gathering her things before heading out. "By the way, if you're hungry the men have set up a food tent near the entrance of the second gate. I'm sure you must be starving after that long battle," the medic called after him.

It was then that he realized just how right the half-elf was. He hadn't eaten in over eighteen hours and his stomach's loud growl finally caught his attention.

"Hey! There he is!" Roger shouted as the entire circle of soldiers surrounding a bonfire raised their mugs to the prince. "Here's the hero of the hour-no-the year! Three cheers for Chung, everyone! For making us wait under a rain of arrows for his slow ass to save the day!"

Everyone laughed and cheered.

"You're too kind," Chung laughed, as the men and women made space for the prince to join them. He took the seat, raising his flask of red healing fluid and downing part of it with them.

A weight fell over his shoulder as Roger leaned in close enough for Chung to smell the beer mixed in with his rotting teeth. "Oh you know I'm just messing with ya, right? Without you there we'd all be dead. Ain't that right everyone?" The group raised their mugs and cheered again. Roger shoveled a mug over to Chung and he motioned for Mud who literally stepped over the others as the square soldier reached into his ripped tunic and extracted a large bottle of Velder whiskey. Chung remembered this and immediately felt sick in his stomach as the square man clumsily poured half the contents into the mug while the rest found its way to the stone floor.

Everyone looked at him expectantly as he stared at the swill. It was lukewarm and smelled like lantern oil. "To Chung!" Roger cheered again, prompting everyone to raise their mugs once more. "To Chung!" They all repeated and emptied their mugs. Chung took a big gulp of his. Much like last time, the fluid burned like fire down his throat and he miraculously managed to keep it down. He lowered his mug and the entire group cheered once more as Roger patted him on the back.

It wasn't so bad the second time around. Hearing the group cheer him on, too, gave him reason to relax and ignore the constant sea of colors that Eve had been giving him since he left her on her own.

"So, what's next on the list of things to do?"

"Uh…" Chung bobbed his head from side to side in thought, "I think the next step is to retake the temple of frozen water and then-"

"No, kid! We mean who are you going to do?"

"Excuse me?" Chung asked, confused.

Roger chuckled as he looked to the rest of the men and women, "Well I don't know about you Hamelians. But to us Velder folk, the best thing after a good fight is a good fuck." The entire group agreed with his statement. "And from what we've seen you got yourself quite a selection. You have Syrel, Frida, I hear Useli's been talking about you... and that Eve girl… though… does she… you know being a machine and all? And let's not forget Ai-"

Someone cleared their throat loudly from outside the circle and the group stepped aside, allowing Aisha to step in.

The entire group resounded in a rising tide of "Oohs" as she casually took her seat next to the prince.

Chung was frozen where he sat as Aisha brushed the bangs away from her eyes and turned to him with a smile.

"A… Aisha-" he stammered, "What are you doing here?"

The mage flagged a soldier sitting by the keg of beer and he happily poured her a mug which she took and quickly downed the entire thing in one go, surprising even Roger as she raised her mug asking for one more. She looked at Chung. "Celebrating with you, what do you think?"

The entire group gave her a hearty round of applause and another mug was shoveled to her.

"Weren't you against drinking?" Chung asked, perplexed as to why the mage was willingly choosing to kill her brain cells.

"I still am," Aisha acknowledged, with a tilt of her head. Her eyes traveled towards the bonfire, "I… just got a lot on my mind."

"Well, you're with good company, girl, tell us!" Roger beckoned.

"Mud wants thinked what… you thinkeded," the square soldier said, taking a seat next to her.

The mage smiled sweetly at Mud and turned to Chung. "Maybe after a few more drinks."

"You heard her everyone!" Roger cried, raising his mug once again for a toast.

"So then a few days… I dunno, a week or so after I leave the squiredom, I'm wandering the streets. It's raining and pouring and all that and I haven't eaten a decent meal in days, right?" Roger paused to finish his sixth mug of beer. The sun was already beginning to set in the horizon and the group had shrunk in size at that point of their merrymaking. He let out a hearty burp which Chung leaned away from in mock disgust with Aisha. The two laughed, leaning drunkenly on one another.

"And then… I see this guy's rolling in mud. At least I hoped it was mud. He's rolling… and he looks up and sees me clutching at my stomach from starving to death… and he gives me this big stupid grin like he just made a new friend. Never met the guy before. But picture this fat kid rolling around in mud and he just grabs a trash lid or whatever and stuffs it with this mud he's been rolling in and hands it to me. Tells me it's chocolate. It's chocolate!"

The group chuckled.

Mud laughed goofily, "What a dumb head."

"It's you you idiot!" Roger shouted, garnering another round of laughter from his audience. "That's why I call you Mud! Cus that's all you were!"

"I think the more important question is: did you eat this chocolate?" Chung asked loudly.

Roger hesitated, as he tried to find the words to justify his obvious actions of that day. "I'll have you know, though. It actually wasn't mud."

The circle of soldiers erupted in a series of disgusted reactions followed by a "No wonder your breath smells like shit!" from someone in the back.

As the howls of laughter died down, Chung felt Aisha release his leg that she had been holding on to as she raised her hand. "I have a story."

"I'd like to see you top Roger's," Chung challenged her to which the mage responded with an evil smirk.

"This is a story of my first kiss," she said, thumbing the lip of her half empty mug. The crowd responded with a few "Oohs" and "ahs". She raised her hand to silence them. "And Chung's as well." This time the soldiers' response was much more suggestive as a few patted the prince on his back as well as pushed him and the mage together.

Chung didn't say anything, instead opting to silently shake his head and bury his face in his hands. The entire time he could feel Aisha's smile beaming down on him.

"This was about… maybe three… or closer to four years ago. It was the end of the fall season so it had been growing progressively colder at night so instead of being outside teaching him the constellation we decided to retire in my tent to continue the lesson there."

Many of the soldiers nudged each other knowingly but Chung shook his head at their suggestive winks. "Okay we didn't do anything like that if that's what you're all thinking."

"But I bet you wanted to," Aisha said.

Chung didn't answer.

"So we were going through the lesson as per usual and this little fourteen-year old boy just starts digging through my things like it's his."

"You asked me to grab a book near me and I knocked over a stack!" Chung defended, "and low and behold I run into-"

"My book on relationships and how to date guys."

"Actually, it was-"

"An index of accounts regarding the complex nature of copulation between two consenting adults," Aisha stated. The soldiers didn't seem too interested with her use of bigger words.

Chung wanted to say something else but Aisha's grip on his leg clearly told him to keep his mouth shut.

"Curiosity got the better of him and out of my integrity as a teacher-"

"And embarrassment," Chung added.

"I let him ask a few questions regarding the book's content and… well, the questions were soon directed towards me and my personal experiences. Naturally, being the proper lady that I am, I told him that I've never engaged in acts unbecoming of a woman. I did, however, express curiosity some of their activities mentioned in the book. Mainly kissing. So for the sake of a stronger educational experience I decided to conduct an experiment with my student."

"She wanted to try kissing. I became her practice dummy," the prince summarized.

"So? Was it good?" Roger asked, resting his chin on his knuckle as he watched the two fidget uncomfortably in their seats, Chung more so than Aisha.

"Actually. It was fine at first. We kissed. A few times even just to get it down right. Between the two of us I was the more nervous one," Aisha admitted, "I initially just wanted a simple peck on the lips but Chung-"

"Ah!" Chung raised his hands to shut her up, reaching to cover her mouth and the mage moved about in her seat as she tried to get what she wanted to say out.

"Chung- Chung here… He wanted to go all the way!"

"No!"

"Yes!" Aisha laughed, "He tried to use tongue and was even trying to feel me up! After the first two kisses he really started getting into it. I was surprised. Poor little Chung, he didn't know where he was grabbing and just ended up trying to do everything at once. He became this… puppy in heat. I was having none of it at that point. I gave him a good hard slap to the face and scolded him for doing such indecent things! Rena ran in at the sound of the commotion and ended up scolding him too for trying to force himself on me. That was the first and last time we've done that ever since."

The rest of the group erupted in laughter, some teasingly calling the prince a go-getter while others criticized Aisha for being a terrible tease to the boy. Chung just sank into himself more.

"But…" Aisha continued, causing the crowd to fall silent again, she looked at Chung, "I'm sure he's grown out of that phase now… Any girl looking at him now wouldn't see him as this immature teen anymore. I don't anymore, anyways. And I suppose I wouldn't mind it if he wanted to be my personal practice partner once more."

Chung blinked as he slowly raised his head from hiding in embarrassment. He wasn't sure if he heard her right. The crowd didn't matter to him anymore. Only the purple-haired mage that sat next to him did. And as he looked upon her violet orbs, he sensed nothing but seriousness in them as she sat there staring into his cyan eyes. The longer he held her gaze, however, the stranger it felt. Something was off.

She broke eye contact to finish the rest of her mug before setting it on the ground and standing up to leave, brushing her hand on his shoulder as she stepped over the seats and left the small circle around the bonfire.

"Go get her, kid," Roger smiled with a nudge to the young man's side. Chungs eyes never left her and he watched as she quickly made her way towards the destroyed inner gate that lead to the less populated outer courtyard. She glanced back at him, throwing him a knowing smile before disappearing through the melted rubble.

The Hamelian stood and promptly left the circle to chase after her.

"We're throwing a big bonfire to celebrate with everyone tonight! Don't forget!" he heard Roger announce as the young man pushed his way through the busy inner courtyard, towards the gate right past the food tent. As soon as he passed the melted steel gate, a hand grabbed him by his arm, pulling him off to the side and out of view.

Aisha stood before him, looking back through the gate to make sure he wasn't being followed before leading him further along the wall to an isolated point. Several soldiers wandered the outer courtyard cataloguing their casualties and cleaning up the bodies of demons littering the area. They were a great deal away so the two were largely alone for the most part.

The mage leaned against the wall with a shaky breath. "How are you holding up?" she asked as she took a seat on the ground, bringing her knees to her chest.

Chung watched her for a long moment. The way she waited for his answer, how she fidgeted around with her fingers, the way her toes pointed inward as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat: something was bothering her.

"I should be asking you that question," the prince said, taking a seat next to her, stretching his legs out and leaning against the wall with a sigh.

"I'm talking about that whole… story… thing. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. It's just…"

"Alcohol?"

The purple-haired girl pulled her legs closer and shrugged, "Among other things. I heard what you guys were talking about and thought I could use that as an excuse to pull you aside. It worked. I'm just glad I finally have a chance to talk to you privately."

He didn't care about the embarrassment from earlier. The story was true so he couldn't deny it. He was just glad that he was on speaking terms with her again. "What's on your mind?"

Chung saw the slight turn of Aisha's head away from him. "You're not going to like it."

"It's about him, huh?"

"And you. I suppose I owe you an apology."

"For what? You did nothing wrong."

"I did. What you went through here… now that I've seen it all in person… It's incredible knowing you willingly chose to do all this. All these people? These men and women? They look up to you, you know? You may not see it but I've heard them talk. You've really pulled through for them. And here I am calling you a child… reprimanding you for putting your feelings out there when I'm not even brave enough to do it myself. And for that I'm sorry."

"Aisha. It's okay. I was the one that put you on the spot back then. I-"

"I told Elsword about what you said."

"You what?"

"He knows. About how you felt about me. And when I told him… the look on his face… He may not have said it but I knew in his mind… he was upset… And I was happy knowing he felt pressured now. I used your affection for my own personal gain… and I had the gall to chastise you for it right after."

"This was in the mess hall…"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. I was asking him what I should do and he… he just said that I should tell you how I felt. And I did. And I'm a terrible person for saying the things I said."

The feeling of being rejected rushed to the forefront of his mind yet again as he relived those moments in his head. She rejected him fully and it still stung knowing she still felt that way.

"On the surface Elsword didn't want any part of it. But deep down I knew he wanted to say something. His reaction was what I had been hoping for. I wanted to remind him that I wasn't going to be there forever. I knew telling him would spur him to action and he played right into my hand. At least that's what I thought… Maybe this is all just karma coming back to slap me in the face."

"What do you mean?"

Aisha rested her head on her knees with her face turned away from Chung. She was shaking her head but said nothing. It wasn't until she turned her face towards her knees did he hear the soft sound of crying escape her lips.

"Aisha…" Chung put an arm over her and she leaned into him.

"I'm a terrible person, you know that?"

"You're not. I wouldn't love you if you were."

"Dont… don't say that. That just makes me feel worse for rejecting you like I did," She leaned back, letting her tears flow freely as she stared at the evening sky, "I put you through so much growing up without considering how you'd have grown to like me. I took your company for granted and it only took your sudden disappearance and your confession to finally see how important you are to me."

The feeling was mutual. Through the ups and downs of life, he had spent his time with her satisfied with just being the one to console her in times of need. The times without her, it felt as if he was missing a vital part of himself- though in those moments he couldn't quite figure out what it was, at least until he saw her again. At that point, it finally hit him how much he treasured her company and cared for her, more than he could for any of his comrades. She leaned her head on his shoulder, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she tried to recompose herself.

"But I am a terrible person," Aisha continued, "I played with your feelings. I played with his. All in hopes of trying to get his attention. It worked. Just… not in the way I wanted it to."

The prince furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

The question caused the girl to bury her face in Chung's chest as the surge of emotion came pouring out. "He gave up on me, Chung. He's not going to try." Her voice cracked, sounding vulnerable and hurt.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw!" she shouted into his chest, a torrent of emotions, "I saw him! He was with… with that blacksmith."

Syrel.

"They weren't… were they?"

She nodded into his chest. "They were."

Chung's heart sank. "Holy El…" He immediately remembered that woman coming on strong to the Lord Knight. He remembered what she offered him, and the look of nervous acknowledgement in the redhead. He remembered how they all affirmed that she wasn't kidding. He just never thought Elsword would take her seriously.

At this point he wasn't sure who to scold: Elsword for taking Syrel's offer, Aisha for manipulating people like she did, or Syrel for… for being herself. And to make things worse he put Eve in the mix of this.

The prince blinked as he suddenly remembered the Nasod.

Eve! His thoughts were directed to the colors that he had subconsciously tuned out long ago. Now that he remembered her, his heart hit rock bottom as his mind slogged through a swamp of hot blues and prickly yellows. The hues of the colors standing out in stark contrast compared to any of the spritely greens or warm yellows that he'd notice in one of Eve's good moods. This was rejection.

He was pulled back into the present as Aisha began weeping into him, seeping his shirt with tears. "What do I do…?" Aisha muttered into his chest as she squeezed him harder. "He's the reason why I'm even with you all. Without him… I'd… I'd…"

Chung held her. As much as it hurt him to willingly put Aisha and Elsword back to the state they've always been in, he couldn't imagine the El Search Party without her.

"I'll fix this," Chung assured her. The mage looked up at him. "I'll talk to Elsword. I'm sure he's just as confused about the situation as you are."

"You'd do that… for me?"

The prince nodded. "I'm a guardian, aren't I? I'm sure relationship management is in my job description somewhere."

A sad smile crossed Aisha's lips as she reached up to wipe the water welling up in Chung's eyes. She leaned forward and softly, gently pressed her lips against his.

Strawberries. Strawberries and beer.

She broke the kiss and sat back, wiping her eyes. "You've gotten better. Though you still have to work on reciprocating," she giggled.

Chung smiled back at her. "And you need to work up the actual courage to tell him. I can fix this between you and Elsword. It's up to you to follow through. Got it?"

"I'll be better about it. I promise."

He stood offering her a hand to help her up, but she declined.

"I think I need a moment alone for a bit. I'll see you at the bonfire later, though." Roger did mention something about that. He left Aisha to collect her thoughts and as he passed through the gate he nearly ran headlong into Eve.

She had been waiting for him and stood there with her arms crossed as the tides of rejection threatened to swallow his mind. At its depths something else brewed. She stared at him, straight-faced as ever. Yet, through her deadpan expression, he saw an ever-so-slight hint of indignation.

"Eve! There you are. Have you seen-"

She stopped him, projecting a hologram of an audio log. The Nasod hit play.

The young man's own voice played loud and clear for the both of them to hear. "And you need to work up the actual courage to tell him. I can fix this between you and Elsword. It's up to you to follow through. Got it?"

Of course. How could he forget that Eve could hear everything the prince heard. The entire time Chung could feel the seething anger build in the swamp of rejection. The two emotions blending together, eating at any joy that was left in his heart from the earlier bonfire.

"Eve… I can explain."

The pool of blues and yellows bubbled, dissipating as the boiling reds surfaced instead. Her expression was unchanged but as she took a step towards him, he couldn't help but fall back on his heels.

"I… I care about Aisha, okay? And Elsword, too. Both of them are my friends and… as much as it hurts me I want to see their relationship work."

She advanced ever closer to him. There was no more rejection. Only anger. Seething anger for the person that stood in front of her. For every two steps she took, Chung fell back one. She drew close to him, her large golden eyes, hauntingly dangerous, stared deep into his cyan. She tenderly cupped his face, her lips next to his ear, whispering, "I'm your friend, too, aren't I?"

The Nasod Queen placed her hand on his chest and shoved, causing him to fall backwards before gracefully spinning on her heel, turning to leave. The colors that once swam in Chung's head vanished in a cloud-like vapor until nothing was left but blackness.

He sat on the ground, watching her walk away from him. In his mind he attempted to call for her. Nothing. Not even a ping of acknowledgment.

She had taken the nanomachines away.

Chung attempted to tell her he was sorry, but again he found himself communicating to no one but himself. And as he sat there, the silence of his mind echoing his shock, a hand was extended in front of him.

He looked up. Before him, a handsome red-headed knight stood with a look of concern across his face.

"You okay, dude?" Elsword asked, pulling his friend to his feet. "What was that all about?" he said, looking over at Eve who climbed the stairs to the castle's main building.

Still shocked from it all, the prince stumbled to find his footing as he mentally tried to grasp the utter silence in his head. Elsword began dusting off his friend and he lead him over to the food tent nearby to grab a bite to eat.

"She… is just being… weird. As usual," Chung reassured Elsword.

"Tell me about it," Elsword agreed with a roll of his eyes. "You know she was being super weird to me, too."

"H… how so?" Chung asked, almost afraid of the answer and somewhat grateful that Eve could no longer hear them.

"She made me sit on the throne with her. She insisted on it. Tried to talk to me about what I thought about man and machine. I tried to get up but she insisted I sit on the throne. Like a king. It was freaking me out." As he explained the situation, he ordered two bowls of the army's finest gruel for Chung and himself. The prince felt sick to his stomach. More and more guilt kept piling up inside of him.

"Ah…" Chung's response was as hollow as his head. His friend handed him a bowl and he clumsily followed his best friend towards an empty bench.

"And then she just grabs me by the hand. Just… grabs it! I let her but that's literally all she did. So I'm sitting on the throne with her clutching me like that… It was so weird."

"I… see…" Chung mumbled, regretting the choice to leave her alone with him. He could only imagine what Eve must've felt. "I think she was just trying to tell you she likes you."

"Huh? Well, Eve has a bizarre way of expressing it," Elsword grumbled as he took a seat and shoveled a spoonful of gruel into his mouth. "Whoever gave her tips on how to pick up guys needs a hard slap to the face."

"Y… yeah." Chung poked at the peas topping off his bowl of slop. "Speaking of picking up guys… I heard that, uh, you took Syrel up on her offer."

Elsword stopped chewing, giving his friend a sideways glance. "From who?" he said, spoon still in his mouth.

"Aisha."

The knight stabbed his spoon into his food and shoveled another mouthful to chew on as he tried to find the words to explain himself.

"What does she want from me?" he muttered after swallowing.

"Huh?"

"I mean what does she want me to do? You've already confessed to her. And here I am sitting around with my thumb up my ass watching it all happen."

"I'm sorry, man," Chung muttered.

"No. It's not your fault," Elsword said, shoving another spoonful into his mouth, "It's mine. I know she likes me. I may be dense, but I'm not that dense. The truth is I like her, too. I've never had more fun teasing anyone else than I have with her. And the way her face gets flustered at the slightest bit of affection I show her? It's why I keep doing it. I love those things about her."

"Then why don't you tell her how you feel?" the guardian's voice rose at this revelation.

Elsword shook his head, "Not gonna happen."

"Why?" Chung was practically yelling at this point.

"Because you like her, dude. You're my best friend. Honestly? I think you'd be a good match for her."

"But… but she told you… she even told me that she doesn't like me like that."

"She could learn to like you. It took me a while before I got used to her. I'm sure she'll come around."

"Why…" the young man shook his head in confusion, "Why are you doing this?"

The knight dropped the spoon into the empty bowl and set it aside, leaning back on his chair and turning fully to his friend. "How long can we keep this going?"

"Keep what going?"

His friend motioned around him. "This. Our lifestyle. When will it end: living a life fighting demons? This isn't something we grow old doing, Chung. You know it as well as I do: we're either going to remove the demon threat, or we're going to die fighting. As far as I can see, there's no sign of the demons stopping any time soon. And there's no way we can plan for that moment that one of us… and that's why I can't confess to her. Because I don't know when that day would come. I'm afraid of that day where one of us just doesn't make it. It could be today. It could be tomorrow-"

"It could be never," Chung interrupted. "You don't know. What if we all make it? Are you happy being the way you are? Are you two going to just fight forever until old age takes you? And when you're sitting there in your deathbed, waiting for death to finally catch up, would you have no regrets then? Would you be satisfied knowing that you lived a life where you never gave what was right next to you a chance because you were too scared to see it through?"

"Chung…"

"I'm afraid, too, Elsword. I dread the day death decides to take one of you. Going out alone made me realize how important the here and now is. That's why I told Aisha how I felt- because I feared a future of regrets. I wanted it all out there so that I wouldn't have any. Is that how you want it? Do you want her to just wait forever for a day that, you know, will never come?"

"No… I never thought about it like that."

"Then take it into consideration. She's waiting, man. She has been. For a long time."

"I can't, dude… not after what I did with Syrel."

Chung frowned at the knight. "Do you love Syrel?"

"No."

"What about Aisha?"

"I… do."

"Are you bound to that blacksmith?"

"No. Not really."

"Then I don't see what the problem is."

The Lord Knight sighed, leaning back on his chair as he stared up at the night sky. "I don't know, dude. I can't look at her straight knowing what I did with another woman."

"You're not even dating her yet. There's really nothing wrong with what you did."

"You think so?"

Chung nodded and the knight gave a long drawn out sigh, leaning forward on his seat. "Okay. I'll consider it. I still need some time to get over the fact I did that with Syrel."

The two sat there quietly collecting their thoughts. The whole time Chung could see Elsword's inner conflict in his red eyes.

"How was it, by the way?" Chung asked out of genuine curiosity.

Elsword gave him a sideways glance as a smile finally came across his face. He punched the prince in the arm, shaking his head. "If you're curious why not give her a try, yourself? She did mention you as her next 'target'."

"I'm good," Chung laughed, rubbing his arm, "That's something I want to save for someone I actually care for."

"Look at you playing Mr. Righteous after stealing my girl."

"She's not yours, yet!"

"Right, right." Elsword stood, stretching. "I'm going to go help set up the bonfire. You wanna come along?"

Chung raised a hand at him, "Actually I need to find Eve. There's something I need to talk to her about."

Elsword shrugged, "Fine. Oh and tell her sorry for me? I guess I kind of made it weird between her and I, too?"

"Who am I? Your personal secretary?" Chung joked but waved it off, "Sure. I'll let her know."

The guardian stood and made his way back towards the castle where he last saw the Nasod run off to. By then, the sun had already completely set, casting the entire castle in a shadow that softly howled in the breeze. Without the sound of battle, the structure loomed over him like a hollow tomb. Stepping through the large throne room doors into the empty audience hall only made him realize how lonely all this felt. He found himself subconsciously digging into his mind for any reactionary color. He wondered how Eve was feeling now; whether or not she was still upset about the whole encounter or not. The Nasod was an enigma and as his thoughts swam in the black void of his mind he slowly came to the realization that he'd probably never understand what was going through Eve's head anymore now that they no longer had a neural link.

She wasn't in the throne room. Behind him he could hear the cheers of many as the bonfire was lit and a huge plume of flame illuminated the entire courtyard. Perhaps she went back out?

The guardian shook his head. Eve wouldn't be out there, he thought. She would have to be in the castle somewhere. But where? Now that he thought about it, Eve never put herself in the center of anything. In all social encounters she would always prefer standing off to the side, letting the others socialize while she simply watched. That was true even in her role as the Queen of Nasods, opting to function as the power source of her factory rather than being at the center constructing each individual machine. She was the observer. Never the participator.

"I knew I'd find you here," Chung said as he stepped into the second story balcony. The balcony hung over the throne room door overlooking the bonfire below. Whenever Chung's father needed to address a wider audience, this was where he'd go.

The Nasod was leaning on the railing watching the people gather around the pillar of fire in celebration. She glanced at him over her shoulder, but said nothing as he approached her. He stood at the railing next to her and watched as music from a fiddle could be heard somewhere among the crowd.

They were quiet for a long while and Chung found himself wondering what was going through her mind. Looking at her now, she looked as emotionless as ever. He couldn't believe it at first but he couldn't deny it any longer now that he stood next to her like this: the colors were gone.

However, the more he stared, the more he noticed the delicate features of her face. The way her eyes focused so intently at whatever caught her interest, the way her lips twitched and her nose wrinkled at what did or didn't happen below.

She looked at him. There weren't any colors. There weren't any prompts or notions. She didn't say anything and yet he knew what she was saying. It was a question.

"I… just wanted to see how you were doing."

Eve turned her head away again and continued to watch the spectacle below as soldiers began to dance with one another to the rhythm of the fiddle. Again she refused to speak. Yet Chung felt he knew what was going through her head.

"I wanted to know because I was concerned about you. You're my friend after all," he said, the slight twitch of her finger the way she shifted her weight from one leg to the other was enough of a tell for him. She was listening. "I know I said I'd try and get you and Elsword together. I know I should've been with you when you were alone with him. You must've been scared trying to come up with what to say on your own. He told me about it. He said the experience was weird for him and he-"

"Are you here to criticize me?" Eve finally said, not facing him. "I don't communicate my intent well enough for humans to comprehend, I understand that. It's been my problem since I've joined your group. That's why I've never found it in myself to ask for you or the others for assistance with anything if I could help it. It was a mistake for me to even try with you. I shouldn't have relied on you."

Chung shook his head, "I'm not here to criticize you, Eve… I came to console you."

"I'm not experiencing any grief," Eve retorted flatly, still facing the bonfire.

"But you're upset… aren't you? I may have failed as your… personal courting assistant but that doesn't mean I can't help you feel better. I've relied on you as my care taker. I want to at least return the favor... so don't be afraid to rely on me."

Eve stood, turning to face Chung. "Do you have any idea how incompetent I felt when I was alone with Elsword? How… how lost I felt when I heard you talking to Aisha? I tried to court him to the best of my knowledge only to hear you saying those things to that other human. You knew there was no chance for me, didn't you? I know… because as you left me with him... you expressed the same emotional algorithm for me... as I did for you during your meeting with Aisha in the mess hall." She turned from Chung again, realizing the hypocrisy in her statement. "I knew it wasn't going to work for you, yet I did nothing to stop you from trying… I don't know why I let it happen."

"You were hoping I'd succeed despite your gut feel," Chung said, standing next to her as they both watched the bonfire in the courtyard. They both spotted Elsword on one end. He danced with the other soldiers as drinks were passed around him. Aisha was on the opposite end, looking about through the crowd. She spotted Elsword and the two at the balcony witnessed as she visibly gathered herself and pushed her way through the crowd closer to the redhead.

Chung continued. "In truth, I was rooting for you, too."

He never took his eyes off the two but he could sense Eve was taken aback by his words. "You were there to listen to me afterwards. You gave me a way to vent my frustrations. I don't know how I'd manage if I didn't have you to listen to me back then. I know you must feel the same, too. That's why I wanted to find you and talk to you like this."

Down at the bonfire Aisha nervously tapped the boy on the shoulder as he danced. The knight spun around, not missing a beat in the melody and smiled at the girl, immediately pulling her close and twirling her about on the circle that surrounded them.

"They… look good together," Eve stated, a slight quiver in her voice.

Chung turned his head towards her. The way that Eve stood there, shifting uneasily, was enough to tell the prince that the display in front of her was killing her on the inside. Yet, she never diverted her eyes off of the two.

He said nothing and joined her as she watched the two dance below. Elsword lead in the upbeat dance with Aisha struggling to keep time. Yet as she struggled she looked… happy.

His heart ached. Did he really want this? He always wanted to be a selfless person, protecting people of his town, and fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves- even if it meant sacrificing himself. But at times like this, there was a hidden feeling inside of him, a sort of regret. He felt selfish. Of course he didn't want those two to be together. The happiness that Aisha gave to him, those feelings, seeing those same feelings reflecting off of another man made him twist in agony. But it made both of them happy. That's all that matters, right?

Something brushed against his hand. Its warmth wrapped around and pressed against his palm. He never took his eyes off the two dancing before him as Chung slowly entwined his fingers with Eve's. It was soft, delicate, petite. He squeezed her hand softly in his and she returned it. It was small but through the simple contact, he could understand what she felt. She was lost. She needed someone to rely on. She needed him. And for Chung, the feeling was mutual.


	17. The Caged Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Velder Army is planning its next move. With the unbelievable successof their previous missions, even their leaders are unsure of what to make of their situation. Unwilling to lose their momentum, Penensio looks for any advantage he can get to further their cause... a move that Chung can't help but question.

The Black Crow arrived from the Resiam one last time, unpacking another ship load of the army's assets to their new forward fortification. Among the equipment and personnel were boxes of blacksmithing tools and workshop supplies, as well as the last of the army's remaining mounts: the five Hamelings.

It took five handlers to force each of the heavily bound dragons off the ship and across the bloody outer courtyard to the inner walls. The Hamelings struggled every step of the way, unwilling to move any further with the soldiers that escorted them. Chung wondered why they kept them if they were so hard to handle in the first place. Thus far, they showed no interest in assisting the Velder army. At this point it would've been better to let them go.

One of the Hamelings caught sight of the prince as he sat high above the breached second wall and stared at him as the handlers continued pulling it through the gate one leg at a time. Unsure what to do, the guardian waved, causing the dragon to tilt its head at him before it vanished under the gate.

With the last of the necessities moved to the castle, the airship took off once more, resuming its aerial patrol over the castle. Through the thick dust kicked up from its lift off, Chung spotted Eve and Add crossing the courtyard as they began scouring the field once the area was cleared of traffic.

Chung never paid much attention to Eve until now. He knew she originally joined the group to gather El shards, but he never actually bothered keeping track of how she would do this or why in the first place. Ever since last night, though, he suddenly felt inclined to keep an eye on her more. It wasn't purely out of concern for her complete lack of social skills, but rather something else.

The young prince sat with Roger atop the second wall that overlooked the outer courtyard. The morning sun was just beginning to crest the distant mountains to the east as the tall soldier sipped on his morning coffee while they watched the Nasod and the Nasod fanatic scour the piles of demon carcasses that still littered the courtyard below. Add lead the way as his dynamos spun in a ring in front of him, projecting a virtual radar that pinpointed the location of nearby shards.

"So… what exactly is she doing that for?" Roger asked as they watched Add stop at a pile of the beasts and pointed at a particular corpse.

With a gesture from Eve, Moby and Remy began pushing bodies aside, giving Add's dynamos room to cut a portion of the demon's tough scales out. They deployed a small beam that carefully extracted the El shard buried within and held it before the queen who took it in her hands to inspect it. Satisfied, she tossed it over her shoulder as one of her drones opened a dimensional gate that caught the shard before closing. They repeated this process over and over again, stopping at each demon corpse that still possessed an intact shard. Each shard that passed the inspection was sent through a portal, and each that failed was simply dropped on the floor.

"I'm not sure," Chung replied, kicking his legs freely as they hung over the edge of the wall, "I think she's doing it to power her factory back in Altera."

"She has a factory in Altera?" Roger whistled in amazement.

"Yes. She's the queen after all."

"Damn. And you were hitting that last night?"

"What?"

"Half the men saw you getting a little close to her last night. Honestly I thought she wasn't your type."

"We didn't-"

"And who's this chump looking her up and down every time he gets a chance? He wasn't in any of your other stories."

"That's Add. But first of all, we never-"

"You're not going to let him move in on her like that, are you?"

"No… I mean… wait. I don't care-"

"Hey, Add!" Roger shouted loudly, grabbing the attention of the two on the courtyard.

"Roger! No-"

"Might as well give up. She's Chung's now!"

Add paused in the distance, and Chung buried his face in his hands as he saw the man snap his fingers. Several of his dynamos flew over to the wall where Roger and Chung sat and began constructing something.

It was a small pylon-like structure made of black Nasod metal that sparked to life as it finished building. Roger took a step back as the air around them crackled with energy and Add swapped places with the pylon, immediately putting him face to face with Roger. Despite the soldier being taller than Add, Add clearly intimidated the other.

"I'm sorry? Say that one more time, old man?" Add threatened through his teeth, his sharp magenta eyes narrowing with violent intentions

"Old? Who the hell are you calling old?" Roger retorted, surprised to see such a quick action come from Add, leaving them just a breath apart.

"No one here but you and this annoying kid, old man." Add placed heavy emphasis on the insult, jeering at Roger through a sly and cocky grin. "Now care to run that by me, again?"

"You trying to intimidate me, punk? I'll cut you to pieces before you can even-"

Add cut him off there as he drove his fist through the projection field generated by his dynamos, creating a repulsive wave of energy in the shape of his hand that gripped the soldier at his neck.

"Add!" Chung shouted, getting to his feet.

"Let me straighten a few facts for you, old man. The Nasods are the perfect machine. My Queen is at the top. She belongs to nobody except me. And I mean nobody. Especially this primitive ape of a prince." With a flick of his wrist, the soldier was thrown at Chung who was knocked off his feet catching his friend.

The prince groaned, pushing Roger off of him as he sat up. "Doesn't that apply to you, too? If what you're saying is true then you're a nobody as well."

"I'm more use to her than you," Add smirked, standing over them, "I'm the closest thing a human can get to a Nasod. Besides, why do you care, kid? We had an agreement, didn't we? After this whole… 'nanomachine' ordeal you'd back off. No more neural link, no reason for you to interact with her, right? Not that you had a chance anyways."

"Human," Eve's voice came from behind Add. Looking over his shoulder, Add straightened his posture as Eve strode up to the fanatic.

"My apologies, Eve. These two were just being a nuisance, claiming you belonged to Chung and all. I had to correct them-"

The Nasod Queen leaned over placing a hand on his shoulder which caused him to visibly tense at the physical contact. Brushing her hair away from her face she stood on her toes to whisper something into his ear. Her breath clearly sent shivers down Add's spine as a cocky smile crossed his lips while he looked down at the two humans before him, clearing in a look of superiority

"But of course. And I intend to keep it that way, My Queen."

She whispered again and the man nodded apologetically. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Add said. Without another word he left the two with Eve, leading the way back down to the courtyard.

"The El is his problem?" Roger groaned, rubbing his lower back in pain.

"He's… her psychotic right-hand man," Chung replied, not taking his eyes off Eve. No one else seemed to notice, but the entire time Eve was speaking to Add, she never took her golden eyes off the prince. He couldn't help but wonder what she was saying to him.

"Yeah, no shit," Roger agreed, standing and picking up his spilled cup of coffee, "And what the El did he mean no more reason to interact with her? You're not going to let him just say that are you?"

The guardian grumbled as he stood and dusted himself off, "The details are a bit complicated, but basically the crazy guy got a little jealous that I was spending a bit of time with her when she was taking care of me and I told him it was just until I got better. After that, he can have her all to himself like before."

"And you're just going to agree to that?" Roger crossed his arms at him.

"Why not?"

The tall soldier gave a long drawn out sigh.

Chung cocked an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"So you're just gonna let her go? Just like that?"

"I'm not interested in her, anyways."

Again Roger sighed and shrugged. "I mean, Aisha sure looked like she was enjoying herself with that Elsword kid. I'm just saying you should start considering your options more is all."

Chung didn't want to be reminded of that.

"You two done with your 'guy talk', yet?" a female's voice caught both of their attention and they turned to find a young woman leaning against the battlements. It took a moment for Chung to recognize her out of her armor. Her blue hair was loosely banded together over her left shoulder and was further accented by her icy blue eyes. Dressed in a loose fitting white long sleeve and a black dress that fell below her knees, she looked nothing like the heavily armored battle mage that accompanied him the other day. Without the jeweled mace strapped to her hip, Chung could have easily mistaken her for a beautiful farm girl.

"N-noah?" Chung stammered.

"That's Captain Noah, to you," she barked. Her expression softened, "Though I'm not sure what I'm a captain of at this point. I came to get you. To… uh… visit Ara."

"She's okay then?" Chung asked, peaking in interest upon hearing mention of the fallen girl from before.

Noah simply turned and motioned for him to follow.

"Drinks later, kid?" Roger called after him as he continued his watch atop the wall. The young man gave him a thumbs up as he quickly followed Noah down the steps towards the ruined gate.

The prince trailed the captain past the food tent, past the triage center, towards the castle. Tucked away at the side of the castle's main entrance was a smaller door that led down to the sublevels of the building. He knew where they were going. They were at the servants quarters: a hallway of small rooms that housed eight to ten servants each. Looking around now, the place was dimly lit with a few rooms converted to different uses by the Velder army. One door in particular had a new metal door installed with a locking mechanism on the outside. It was obvious where they were keeping Ara at this point as Noah stopped in front of the single guard blocking the way.

"I brought the prince like High Commander asked," she said, motioning at him over her shoulder.

The guard nodded and stepped aside, letting the two walk through the door down the small steps into a single room with four people in it: Penensio, one of his red knights, Useli, and Ara. None looked particularly overjoyed at his arrival.

Penensio was leaning against a single table with his arms crossed, the dim torchlight showing deep grooves on his brow as he regarded the two that just came in. Still dressed in the armor Chung had seen the him in since yesterday, it looked like the High commander had little sleep since they took the castle.

Next to the commander stood one of his few remaining Red Knights. He was cleaning what looked like a bloody instrument of torture in the background. A bucket of blood-soaked rags could barely be seen tucked behind the knight as he set the recently cleaned tool aside. It was a loop of metal with a cranking mechanism that looked like it was meant to slowly crush something. The uneasiness that he felt in his gut grew as his eyes scanned the various tools laid neatly on the table.

Useli sat on a wooden chair next to Ara, a pile of empty flasks at her feet as she clutched Ara's wrist, not in a comforting way but in a way to monitor her pulse. The medic's eyes remained downcast the entire time Chung stood there and when he looked upon his friend, a mixture of anger and disbelief washed over him.

Ara sat there with her legs and torso bound to the chair. The broken jaw that she had yesterday was healed and her eye was no longer swollen… but it did little to justify the state she was in, now. She was hunched over, heaving in pain with her arms tied together in front of her and bound to the bottom bar of the metal chair. Bruises covered her body and her face was red with blood. Bright orange eyes stared up at cyan as she silently pleaded for help.

"W-what's going on?" Chung demanded as he heard the door shut behind him, "I thought you said you wouldn't hurt her."

"If she complied," Penensio corrected, "Had she given us all the information she would have been set free by now."

"I… I say to you… Everything I know," Ara croaked in agony, barely letting out words in between heaves, "You lie. You will not… release me…"

"That's because you haven't told us everything," the high commander growled.

"I have!" Ara shouted, struggling in her bindings, "I say to you many things! I say to the demons our plans… I say to them… our army count… and you say to me you want more. I cannot say more."

"And this demon general, you know nothing about him?"

"No!"

Penensio turned to the Red Knight and nodded. The man by the table grabbed a large pair of pliers and walked over to the bound woman.

Ara screamed jostling violently in her chair, "No! Please!"

"High Commander!" Chung setting himself between Ara and the Red Knight, "Why are you doing this? Why can't you accept what she's saying?"

"Because Captain Noah here says otherwise!" the High Commander shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the blue-haired mage. Noah dropped her gaze, arms wrapped tightly over herself as she tried to hide her guilt. "According to her, Ara abandoned Lowe as soon as one of the demons mentioned the name 'Ran'. That just so happens to be the name of the Demon General leading this attack. She asked where he was. Ara knows Ran. Yet she refuses to tell us what her business is with him."

Chung stared at Penensio, anger surging from his gut as he heard Ara weeping behind him. "Why did you invite me here? So I can watch you torture my friend?"

"I want you to talk some sense in her, Chung. Do you know how many soldiers we have, now? Eight hundred. We have eight hundred of the three thousand we had when you first arrived, and if we're going to survive out here we're going to have to scrape for any advantage we can… And she's keeping us from it. Now you either get her talking or we can continue doing it our way."

Chung gritted his teeth angrily at him. "Is this the moral standard we're at now? We're so desperate to win that we're resorting to torture?"

"Don't go preaching your righteous bullshit to me, boy. There's no space for a White Knight in a war like this. I've commanded tens of thousands of men. How many are left now? For every soldier that fell under my leadership I asked myself: what could I have done to save their lives? What could I do to prevent the same mistakes? Experience and sacrifice has gotten me this far and I've learned that the best way isn't always the prettiest. I'm doing everything I can to protect my men, and her information could be the difference between life or death for each and every one of us!"

Penensio ran a hand through his hair as he regained his composure. He exhaled as the stress of the past few days continued to weigh on him.

"All I'm asking from you is to help me convince her to talk. That's all. I don't want to hurt her and I'm doing my best to do as little harm as I can. That's why I called you here. I don't like hurting people like this, but if it could save more lives then I'll do it. Now if you're going to preach morality... or tell me that the safety of your friend here is worth the lives of eight hundred men, then I'd rather you leave and let me continue doing it my way. But I want you to consider the consequences, prince," Lowe said, staring at the Hamelian, eyes measuring the boy's resolve. "So. What's it going to be?"

Chung looked back at Ara, who clearly looked as if she were begging him to let her free. She could barely sit straight with the torture they've put her through. He couldn't let her go through something like this. Yet, as the prince turned to Penensio, he was suddenly under the gaze of a man who challenged him to say otherwise. Chung didn't want to admit it but eight hundred lives were depending on this knowledge. Was forcing the information out of Ara really the better choice?

Of all the things he has done for others, he has never found himself in a situation like this. He didn't know what to do. Ara looked so vulnerable; so fearful of the others around her, even him. Maybe if he could convince her, he could at least spare her any future torment. He had to try.

"Ara," the guardian knelt in front of her, "Are… are you certain you have nothing else to say to him?" He shouldn't have knelt down. For as he leveled with her, the prince could see-in finer detail-the extent of Penensio's interrogation. Each haggard breath she took was a combination of blood and spit. Her nose was red and possibly broken. Her face was matted with sweat and bruises that went all the way down to her shoulders.

Ara was quick to nod at the young man. As she did so she swayed in her seat, looking almost as if she were going to fall over. Still, he was glad Ara was communicating with him. He had to press for more.

"Then… why do you know Ran? Why were you so adamant about finding out where he was?"

Hesitation surfaced in Ara's eyes. This was exactly what Chung didn't want to see. "Ara… who is Ran?"

She didn't answer. Her orange eyes darted from face to face in a panic. Her breathing hastened and once again she tried to wrench herself free.

"You see, prince? She knows something. I'm sorry but if she's not going to talk-"

The snap of the pliers returned and Ara screamed, trying to push herself away. Again Chung put himself between the knight and the woman. "Ara! Please I don't want them to have to resort to this! You have to tell us. You need to. For your sake and for all of us. Just tell us who he is. That's all we want to know."

The knight pushed Chung aside as the pliers inched closer to the girl's ear and she did her best to pull away. The prince moved to stop him but Penensio pulled him back. "If she's not going to speak, this needs to happen," the high commander stated, not allowing the prince to interject

"Ara! Please. Just tell us!"

Ara shut her eyes. The pliers gripped her by her earlobe and Chung could see how tightly they pinched her. He pulled. Her skin began to tear. Blood trickled. It wasn't a quick pull. Instead the knight tugged in a slow, agonizing upward rip that made the poor victim writhe in her seat with each millimeter of ear she lost.

"Stop!" Chung pleaded, he then turned to the woman who was being strung upward in her seat as her ear continued to be ripped off. "Ara, just tell them. Please just tell them who he is." He got more anxious, what was so important that she would rather suffer so much instead of telling them?

The woman's eyes shot open and glared defiantly at the prince, as if angry that the prince was unable to help her and made no attempt to fight off the man torturing her. A look of pure unadulterated anger could be seen through her water-filled eyes. Her body shook as she endured the pain yet as more and more of her ear was pulled off she finally broke.

"My brother!" Ara cried as she felt the Red Knight pause, still holding the chunk of skin taut. "My brother! He's my brother!" the foreigner shouted through her tears. He let go after having torn half her ear off, leaving the rest of it to hang loosely off the side of her head. Her body went slack as she wheezed through the pain.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Penensio said as he rose off the table and approached her. She turned her face away from him in fear as the man drew close. "So. He's your brother? And tell me, what do you intend to do when you find your brother?" He leaned in towards her, causing her to jerk away. Her breaths were short and quick. Her eyes were shut and lips in a permanent grimace as if expecting him to hurt her more. "Surely you'd help us defeat him right? Help us liberate this country of the demon threat?"

Ara said nothing and simply kept her head turned, waiting for her punishment as she refused to speak to him. Chung watched as the high commander nodded at Useli. With a heavy sigh, the half-elf extended her hands towards the frightened girl.

"No…" Ara mumbled. She thrashed her head from side to side, in an attempt to pull away from the half-elf.

"I know, Ara. I know…" Useli whispered as she tried to comfort the girl. "Just bear with me… okay?"

She gently took the black-haired woman by her jaw, cradling her head in her palm as she slid her other hand around the back of the woman's head. In her elven tongue she softly muttered a spell that produced a faint green light at her palms. She reached around the head, carefully cupping the area near the torn ear as the grip on the girl's jaw tightened. Ara twitched before her entire body tensed from the sensation.

"Hold still… hold still," she cooed as Ara fidgeted instinctively away from the light.

The green light came in contact with her ear and every muscle in Ara's body tightened as she groaned in pain. Chung saw the cartilage reconnect itself with the skin and the ear slowly began to mend. Ara's nails dug into her own knees as she appeared to be reliving the pain of having her ear torn off but in reverse. The foreigner writhed, her breathing was haggard and shallow, it took everything in Ara's will to keep from shaking the half-elf away from her as she endured the sensation once again.

The El magic faded and her ear looked pristine; untouched, save for the mess of blood surrounding it. So this was the half-elf's power, Chung thought. It was a beautiful type of magic, and its future use would come in handy for the future battles, but as wonderful as it seemed- Chung couldn't help but notice that the healing process seemed to be just as painful as the experience of harming.

Penensio squatted down to the foreigner's level. "We can do this all day, Ara. You know that," he said to her, "Now that we have a better picture of what exactly is going on, it'd be nice of you to tell us what your motive is. He's your brother, we get that. But you do realize that he's the one that lead the monsters to our realm, right? What do you hope to accomplish by seeing your brother? Is it something we can use to end this war? Or is it something that would put us at a great disadvantage?" Question on question, he barraged Ara, more hopeful of achieving an answer.

Ara gazed at the man, eyes wide and wary of every single move he made. He waited patiently for her to answer, yet she refused to speak. The high commander dropped his head in defeat. The hopefulness vanishing from him. He looked over his shoulder at Chung, "Alright, prince, you've done plenty for us already. Noah? See his majesty out."

"What? We're done?" Chung wasn't exactly relieved to know that he was being dismissed so soon, growing more nervous in thoughts of Ara's future and what would continue beyond the metal door.

"Well, I mean if you want to see more of this you're welcome to stay. Though now that we're more aware of the stakes, we might have to up the ante a bit on our methods. I'd… rather you not watch, to be honest. You've managed to convince her to speak which was more than what we could've managed. With this new information we might actually get somewhere."

"I'm not going to let you hurt her anymore," the guardian growled, gripping one of his revolvers.

The knight that held the pliers saw this and silently unsheathed his runed blade, shaking his head in warning towards the prince.

"Think about what you're doing, your majesty," Penensio warned, not taking his eyes off his prisoner, "You may be royalty, but this is war. Nobility has no place in it. I won't hesitate to punish insubordination, even if it's someone such as yourself."

A hand fell on Chung's shoulder and he turned to see Noah quietly shaking her head at him as well before motioning for him to leave. He stared at Ara who swayed weakly in her seat.

Useli cleared her throat. "With all due respect, High Commander Penensio, we actually might… have to put this on hold," Useli said as the prince quietly turned to leave, "My form of healing draws from both my El and the stamina of the person I'm aiding. With what we've done to her so far… she's going to need a bit or else the healing magic will kill her."

The high commander sighed. "How much more does she have in her?"

"She can barely stay conscious as it is. She's reaching her limit," Useli said as the door clanged shut behind Chung.

"Then we'll continue until she's reached it."

Penensio's voice echoed in Chung's head as he was escorted out of the lower floor by Noah.

As they snaked through the narrow halls of the lower servants quarters, the prince couldn't get the image of Ara being tortured out of his mind. She knew who this Ran person was and she obviously had an ulterior motive. In fact now that he thought about it, it explains why she often went off on her own during missions that involved demons. She could have been searching for her brother. But surely if she were trying to kill him wouldn't it be easier if she just remained with the team until they reached him? If that was the case then perhaps Ara wasn't trying to kill Ran. But if not, then what would she hope to gain?

He thought about her as a person. She was largely affectionate if not a bit clumsy in trying to communicate her feelings. In fact, the most straightforward form of emotion he got from her was from that look of pure anger she gave him earlier. Was it really okay for him to be siding with Penensio in this case? She was his friend after all. But at the same time she refused to tell him what her goals were. Was she really someone he could trust?

Noah shoved him, snapping the prince out of his train of thought. "I know what you're thinking, Chung," she said as she stepped out into the morning sun with him, "As much as I hate to admit it: Ara isn't worth the lives of everyone else."

Hearing this only pushed Chung to side with his orange-eyed friend. To him, every life was worth saving. And the idea that Penensio was torturing her to the brink of death made all other options meaningless. And that look Ara gave him… he felt completely helpless knowing that this was his fault in being unable to defend her.

"Chung," Noah nudged him sternly, "I understand where you're coming from. I was in your position, too, not long ago. I know what it feels like to stand idly by as your friends and family suffer. But we've thrown so many lives away to get where we are now. For the sake of everyone else: don't be you. Just this once. I won't support it." She stepped back, observing him quietly. Despite what she had said, there was conflict and uncertainty in her eyes. She knew this was all wrong but her professionalism was keeping her from admitting it. The ice princess turned to leave and the prince couldn't help but turn his attention to the door that lead to the servants quarters. A barely audible wail of agony could be heard echoing through the halls.

If only it were so easy, he thought.

 

* * *

 

 

"Chung! There you are!" Rena called, waving him down as the boy passed the triage station with a bowl of gruel in his hands.

The prince stepped into the recovery area and saw Rena sitting between beds occupied by Elesis and Raven. Elesis was awake. Her head was wrapped in bandages and her arm was in a cast. But she looked fine compared to Raven. The man was out like a log. Bandages were wrapped around his torso but it didn't look completely crushed like it did yesterday.

"Rena! I was starting to wonder where you three were. How're they holding up?" Chung asked, grabbing a nearby chair and taking a seat, happy to see at least somebody doing well.

"We're doing fine," Elesis said, giving him a thumbs up, "Thanks for letting Rena know about the whole healing water thing. Loverboy probably wouldn't have made it."

Rena sighed, "There were only a few pools of healing water left. Raven's injuries used up all of a single pool's magic before he could fully heal. His ribs have been mended for the most part, though, so that's a relief…"

"He ain't safe yet, though," Elesis said, rolling to her side and propping herself up on her good arm. "His human arm's still busted and the medics said they were out of material to make a cast for him. So Rena splinted his arm with an arrow shaft while she hand feeds him all the healing juice."

"Either way, I'm glad you both are okay," Chung smiled, looking over Raven's sleeping form.

"Yes, well, we hadn't expected the demons in your land to be so powerful. Had you not come to save us I fear our fate would've been sealed in that battle," Rena nodded, "We can't afford to be careless around these demons. Especially you and Raven, Elesis. They're nothing like the ones we fought in Velder."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I learned that the hard way. They're definitely a lot bigger and tougher than those glitter demons."

"And I noticed Chloe's sentinels were present. She may still be around."

"I thought you guys killed her while I was fighting off that big gate demon," Elesis wondered, tilting her head.

Rena shook her head, "She managed to evade us before we could finish her off."

Elesis fell back on her pillow and groaned. "Why won't she just die already? She's such a nuisance."

"Speaking of demons, I heard Denka and the High Commander talking not too long ago regarding their next move," Rena whispered, "They said that they're looking to wait for the next shipment of reinforcements to come in before setting their sights on the Temple of Frozen Water. According to Denka the recruits should be here any day now and Penensio said that he doesn't want to move until he's finished gathering intel."

"Ah… intel," Chung mumbled as the image of Ara being tortured played in his head.

"What's wrong?" Rena inquired, "You look pale."

Chung hesitated. Did they not know where Ara was or what she was going through? Should he even tell them? What would the repercussions be if they found out? Would they even be willing to support the Velder troops if they knew their friend was being tortured right under their noses?

"Just out of curiosity: what would you do if you had to choose between one life or the lives of many?"

"Easy," Elesis said, "I'd choose many. Why settle for less when you could save more?"

"I mean… what if you had to choose between one of us over many unnamed faces?"

That was a more difficult question and it showed as both Rena and Elesis looked at each other.

"What are you getting at, Chung?" Elesis cautiously asked.

"I mean if any one of us were in danger and you had to choose saving us or the masses you were sworn to protect, who would you choose?"

"Are… any of our friends in danger?" the elf's brow furrowed as she quietly gripped Raven's hand.

Chung paused. "N… no. It was just a hypothetical question. Like what would you choose if you were ever in that situation?"

"How many people would you be talking about here?" the redheaded woman seemed deeply interested in his question now.

"A thousand? More or less?" the prince mumbled.

Elesis sighed, falling back on her bed in thought. "The thousands of people."

"Even if it was your brother?"

"Is my brother in danger right now?" the Blazing Heart's eyes locked with his.

"No! It's still hypothetical."

Despite this Elesis shrugged. "He knows the line of work he's put himself in. He understands the risk that he takes on a daily basis. Frankly, I think he'd scold me for not choosing the others over him. Wouldn't you?"

Rena agreed. "We're all in this together. We'll sacrifice ourselves for people if it meant rescuing them. That's just how we are, right?"

"Right…" Chung dropped his eyes as he spoke. This wasn't right. The situation was completely different. At least for Ara. She was doing this for her brother. Yet… maybe they were right. Maybe it was better to put Ara through this torture for the sake of everyone else.

Just the thought of willingly letting her go through such pain made him sick.

"Chung!" the group turned their heads to the entrance of the triage tent. Useli stood there waiting for him. "Chung, if I could have a moment, please?"

The prince stood and turned to the others, "Sorry, if you'll excuse me."

"Is she a half-elf?" Rena was heard whispering to Elesis as the prince led Useli out towards the outer courtyard.

"What is it?" Chung asked once he was sure that they were both out of earshot of his other comrades.

"I might need your help with something," Useli whispered, glancing around to make sure she wasn't being followed. This caught the prince's attention but before he could speak she raised a finger to silence him, "Now before you say no, I want you to hear me out. Or at least… hear this out."

Useli extracted a long black pin with a white fox curled around the tip. He had seen this somewhere before but as he tried to recall from where exactly, the half-elf's body was suddenly engulfed by a white, flame-like aura. Her short black hair faded into a ghastly white as ethereal foxtails whipped about behind her. Her bright green eyes shifted to an amber-red and the kind, gentle face turned changed into a brooding, malicious, grin.

"Useli…?" Chung took a step back, unsure of what was going on.

"It appears the mortal was successful in secretly bringing me to you. Greetings, Prince of Hamel," the half-elf said. As she spoke another, deeper voice could be heard speaking along with her. "I am the spirit sealed away within the fox hairpin. You will refer to me as Eun."

"Eun… so you're the spirit Ara has been talking to from time to time?" Chung asked. He kept his guard up as this was the first time he had fully seen the spirit manifest before him like this.

Eun simply nodded.

"And that would explain why Ara's hair would turn white from time to time… that's your doing, isn't it?"

"If my vessel requires my assistance, then I will provide it. She has formed a pact with me, after all, and I intend to keep it."

"Let me guess… This pact you made… is the reason why you're revealing yourself to me for help?"

Again the spirit nodded. "As my vessel has mentioned, the one named Ran is indeed her brother. Even though his soul was twisted and corrupted by the demonic taint, my vessel insists that she could save her brother. Although I fail to see how this would be possible given the state of his corruption, I have agreed to bring her to her sibling in exchange for my freedom from this accursed pin."

"And that's where I come in…"

"The one called Penensio has done inexcusable things to my vessel. You and the half-elf are the only ones I can truly trust in helping her escape before he kills her, which he is clearly intent on doing once my vessel has given him the information he wants."

"Penensio… is planning to kill her?"

Eun nodded. "Time is short and I fear that my vessel is near her breaking point. Should she die, my chances of freedom from this prison will die with her. I know I have nothing to give in return but know that if you help me rescue my vessel, I will be eternally grateful."

Chung's eyes fell as he digested all of this. Everyone thus far has encouraged him not to go through with anything stupid. Standing before him, now, was a single entity telling him otherwise.

"And… what happens if I don't agree?"

The spirit shifted where she stood, eyes narrowing. "The outcome is simple: my vessel dies."

Chung let out a long, drawn-out sigh, raising his gaze to meet the spirit's. "You know I can't ever let that happen to one of my friends."

Eun shared a knowing smile. "Why else would I come to you?"


	18. Good Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was unacceptable. What Penensio was doing to his friend cannot continue. Chung steels himself for a move that could land him into deep trouble... but for his friend? It's worth it.

Although Elder City could never compete with the gigantic Velder Empire, the place had its own quirks that Roger couldn't help but appreciate. His favorite quirk was how unattentive the merchants were of their own wares.

Cart after cart rolled by the busy market street. Along with the news of Velder's restoration, the city of Elder experienced a dip in Velder refugees and a return of luxury imports. That meant a lot less food carts and more vases and china. These did little to feed an empty stomach. In a dirty narrow alleyway, a lanky man tapped his foot impatiently, standing against the backdrop that was a whitewashed wall.

"Roger!" He felt a tug on his shirt hem, followed by, "Roger. I's h-hungry." A short and square man was chewing on his own shirt, gnawing right through the worn Velder uniform.

"Yeah, you don't think I know that? I'm hungry, too," the tall one, Roger, grumbled. His foot tapped even faster as a cart of wooden table ornaments passed.

"Mud want food also," the square soldier added.

"That's what it means to be hungry, you dolt."

"…Get food, maybe—"

"I am!" Roger hissed in a loud whisper.

Coming up right behind a wagon filled with livestock was a baker's cart drawn by a single large bird. Thank the gods, Roger thought. Mud would be seriously hurt if it was something heavy like a watermelon cart.

"Alright, you lug head. We got one," the tall soldier smiled as he motioned Mud to get into position.

"That one? It smells yummy," the square one pointed, taking in the scent of freshly baked goods.

"You remember what to do, right?"

Mud nodded excitedly. "I's do better, Roger! Honest!"

"Good, good. Alright, get into position."

Roger crossed the street, taking the other side as he waited for his partner to sneak in close. Mud ducked behind a stall of handcrafted picture frames and looked to Roger for the signal.

Standing at the opposite end, hidden within the alley, Roger watched as the baker's cart approached. He raised his hand, letting his partner know to get ready. The bird passed between them. Then the baker.

"Excuse me! Sir!" Roger yelled, drawing the attention of the baker.

At that moment Mud threw himself on the ground, allowing the wooden axle to collide with his square chest, jostling the cart so violently that a large portion of freshly baked bread literally flew off the cart.

Mud screamed, clutching his chest as the cart rolled over his body.

"By the gods! Are you alright?" the baker cried, running to the injured man's side.

Mud coughed, "My… uh… my ribs! It's… it's hurt!"

"Oh gods… oh gods, alright just… just hold on I'll… uh…" the baker squeezed his head in a panic as Mud clutched at his arm in pain. "Doctor! We need a doctor!"

"No!" Mud yelled, looking up at the baker. Tears were rolling down his cheek as he struggled to breathe. "Mud… has no… money. Mud not… have doctor."

"Then… oh gosh I can't afford to pay the bills… this is my fault," the baker muttered, "how can I help?"

"Food. Maybe. I forgive… with food."

"Food? Oh! Here! Take as much as you want! Please. Just don't tell the guards," the baker said pulling two large sacks of bread out of his cart and setting it on the ground next to the victim.

"Okay," Mud said, sitting up. "I's better now."

Standing up as if nothing happened, Mud took the bread from the bewildered baker. He thanked the man for his generous gift and disappeared into the alleyway before the man could protest.

Roger retreated from the opposite end, carrying several loaves in his arms. He laughed at the success. Honestly, he was surprised by Mud's acting ability. Maybe he could be taught something after all.

As he weaved through the narrow Elder side streets he eventually found himself at their usual meeting spot behind the alchemist's shop.

"Mud! I'm just going to come out and say it, you're just a bag of surprises, you know that?" Roger laughed, piling in his armful of fresh loaves together with Mud's single bag of baked goods. Roger paused. Single?

"Uh… Mud? Didn't you grab two?" The tall soldier looked about the piles of used alchemy ingredients and broken flasks. The square soldier tilted his head in confusion then looked at his one bag.

"Erm… One…" he began counting but scratched his head as he tried to remember the next number. Roger smacked him.

"Where's the other one, you dimwit?" Roger yelled.

"Oh! Mud gave it to the, uh... Mud's friend."

"What?" the tall one mumbled, anger welling in his gut.

Mud nodded. "Uh huh. She's hungry and w-wanted food, t-too."

"She…? Her, again?"

He spun around at the sound of shattering glass to see a child attempting to sneak away with a bag of bread in her hand. She was a small child, probably barely older than ten, with long blonde hair covered in dirt and grime. She wore a potato sack for clothing and two left boots of different sizes.

"Hey!" Roger called after her, prompting the child to take off running. He pursued. "Get back here you little runt!"

"You're not getting away this time!" he yelled, tripping over piles of trash as the girl pushed her way through the alley and onto the busy main street. Congested with adventurers and merchants alike, the soldier had to barrel through the traffic just to keep up with the girl who easily slipped between the gaps of people.

She took him over one of the city's main bridges, into the residential district, past the wall, and out towards Wally's bridge. The girl may be small and agile, but in the clearing Roger quickly caught up with her, snatching the girl by the collar of her potato sack amidst a bed of flowers.

He pulled her back, grabbing her by her arm as she struggled to break free. "I got you, you little piece of shit!"

She spun around, bright blue eyes stared up at him indignantly as she pulled Roger's hand to her mouth and bit down hard on his index finger.

Roger screamed, letting go as she pulled away with a mouthful of blood. Before she could take off running, though, Roger threw himself on the girl, sending her toppling to the ground as he struggled to keep her pinned without getting bitten once more.

"You think you could take our food, again, huh?" Roger muttered as he held the girl down by both her arms. He straddled her, making sure she had no way of getting up. His left index finger bled all over her arm as she tried to struggle free. "Not this time," he said with an angry grin. Heavy footsteps could be heard behind him.

"Mud? Is that you? Good. Hold her down while I get my knife. I'm gonna make sure she knows not to mess with us."

"No!" Mud cried, punching Roger squarely on the back of the head. The man was knocked forward, giving the girl some breathing room as his body lifted off her.

The girl followed up, kicking the tall soldier right where it hurt. He rolled off of her, clutching his nethers. The girl quickly got to her feet, snatching her bag of bread, and held it defensively away as she looked at both the two men.

"Roger… no hurt friend!"

"You know," the tall one groaned, still holding his jewels, "you could've just said no and not hit me in the back of the head."

"Oh. Sorry. I try again," Mud mumbled. He puffed out his chest and stood between Roger and the little girl. "No!"

"I get it, Mud. I get it." He was still on the ground rolling in pain while he looked up at the two. The girl was still there and was hiding behind the square idiot watching him suffer in the man's version of labor pains. As the pain ever so slowly faded he finally found the will to speak.

"So… we're just going to let you run off with half our food, then?"

"Yes!" Mud answered for her.

"Where's your parents, kid? Don't they feed you enough?"

"She… she said that… that she has no mommy or daddy. Like yous and I's," Mud declared proudly.

So she was an orphan. That explained a lot.

"You're not staying at the orphanage? They give you food there, you know." Roger said, rolling to a sitting position. Before Mud could answer for her he raised his hand at the square man. "I'm asking the kid. Let the kid speak."

The girl shook her head at his question.

"Can you talk? I'm clearly in no shape to hurt you, now. Come. Sit. Let's talk like the civilized people we're supposed to be."

The girl and Mud looked at each other before the man stepped aside, letting the girl carefully approach the tall soldier, taking a seat on the flower beds in front of him.

"Why aren't you in the orphanage?"

"It's full. Velder kids came in and took up all the space." Her voice was dry and raspy; as if she hadn't spoken in days.

"So you were pushed out to make space? That's unfair-"

"I left."

"Why?"

"So another Velder kid can have a home."

Roger squinted at her. She didn't look like she was lying. What was with this kid?

"What's your name?"

She paused. "I don't have one."

"Bullshit," he said loudly, causing the girl to jump, "Every kid has a name. Even a made up one if they don't remember."

"Maybe I don't want to tell you," she declared, glaring at him with the same indignation she had been giving him since he caught her.

"I like this kid," Roger smiled at Mud. "Fine. I'll call you… uh…" The soldier looked around at his surroundings. Bread wasn't exactly a good name. Nor was potato. He eyed the Elrian daisies surrounding her.

"Pet."

"Huh?"

"Pet. You know. Like a flower petal? Petal? Pet."

"That's a dumb name."

"Sure is, Pet."

 

* * *

 

 

"And that's how we met," the Roger said. He took a long swig of grog, slamming the mug on the table with a satisfied "Ah". His square friend copied, downing his whole mug with him.

"Damn. Finished already? You better slow down, Mud, or else you'll be drunk before you start your shift."

"Mud is thirsty, though."

"You know," the youngest of the three said with a smile, "I… still don't approve of you guys stealing. But, Mud? That was very kind of you for putting the children first. Unlike Roger, here."

"Bah, fuck off, you goody-goody," Roger laughed, "We ain't stealing now, are we? We're earning an honest pay. Ain't that right, Mud?" This caused the young prince to roll his eyes.

"P-pet was sad. So Mud help. Mud always help."

"You try to, at least," Roger said in an approving nod.

The tall soldier turned his head to Chung, grinning as he watched the young man babysit his own half-filled mug. The grin slowly left him as his drinking partner slowly traced circles on the worn wooden table with his finger. His cyan eyes stared through the gold-yellow fluid sitting in front of him as a soft sigh escaped his lips.

"What's on your mind, kid?" He reached over and tapped the young prince on his arm, shaking him out of his stupor.

"Huh? Oh. Nothing. Just deep in thought," Chung replied.

"Yeah, I get that. That's why I was asking. Go on. You're with friends. Lay it on us."

"I'd… rather not involve you two."

"C'mon, kid. You can trust us. Is it Add? Are you going to fight him? Need help?"

Chung shook his head. "No. It's not Add. It's," he sighed, "Ara."

"Ara? The one who can't speak right? What of her? I haven't seen her since they took her away-" Chung quickly interjected.

"I already said too much. Mud? Where'll you be stationed tonight?"

"Duh?" Mud tilted his head at him.

"Northwestern wall," Roger reported, leaning back. Chung could feel the man's eyes observing him more intently.

"And you, Roger?" the prince asked.

"I'm off duty, tonight. Why are you so interested, by the way?"

The prince suddenly rose to his feet, eyes trained at someone standing at the entrance of the drinking tent. Roger and Mud followed his gaze to find Useli who quietly stood there, waiting for the prince. Chung picked up his drink, emptying his mug in one go. As much as he hated to admit it, he was getting used to the swill they were serving.

"I have to go. Roger. Mud. Can you do me a favor?"

"What the hell are you getting yourself into, kid?" Roger asked as the young man stood over him. The prince leaned in close so the other soldiers wouldn't hear.

"Whatever happens… Just stay out of it. Okay?"

"O...kay?" Roger turned after him as he made his way over to the half-elf.

"Hello, Prince Seiker!" Useli greeted in her usual chipper tone, "Who're those men?" She motioning at Mud and Roger.

"They're friends of mine. They're not involved," Chung said dismissively, "We ready?"

Useli glanced around at the few other soldiers and took him by his arm, "Come. We'll discuss this privately." Chung followed her out of the drinking tent towards the outer courtyard, away from the majority of the Velder soldiers. The entire time they were traveling, the half-elf's eyes darted about cautiously until they were safely on the other side of the wall. Only then did she finally speak.

"There's a problem," the medic said, still on high alert.

"What? What is it? Is Ara okay?"

"She should be fine. But," Useli let out a frustrated sigh, "I was originally planning on having you come with me so you can break your friend's bindings. The problem is I overhead the High Commander before he retired for the night: he's stationing his Red Knights in and around Ara's holding cell with specific instructions on keeping you from reaching her. He's even authorized the use of lethal force if necessary. I'm not sure if we can go through with this..."

Chung cursed under his breath. "And you don't have the key to free her yourself?"

Useli shook her head. "I'm allowed to tend to her wounds but High Commander has the only key to unlock the chains. Even if I manage to free her from it, there's the Red Knight guarding her door that I have to worry about. I'm not a fighter and Ara is in no shape to fight, either."

"What do we do, then?" the guardian muttered in thought. Even if they managed to get the key somehow there were still the Red Knights to worry about. He could ask for help. But who could he turn to that would do well in a confined space? Especially against one or more of Penensio's personal guard?

He wanted to involve as few people in this operation as possible. Worst case scenario: If he was caught trying to free Ara, he didn't want anyone else to suffer because of his selfish desires.

Mud and Roger were poor choices. They were merely soldiers trying to earn their pay. He knew they wouldn't stand a chance against a Red Knight.

Raven was his next choice, however, the man was still far too injured. Elesis and Elsword would be bad, as well. Both of them were esteemed knights of the Velder empire, and, to top it off, the former was still recovering as well. He wouldn't want to sully their reputation like that.

Aisha would be a terrible choice seeing as the majority of her spells required time and a lot of space, which was something that wasn't available given the situation. The same applied to Rena, as well. The confined space would limit her abilities to her sword. On top of all this, Rena did express her utilitarian mindset. Would she even agree to helping?

Add was a definite no. Chung was convinced the madman won't even give him the time of day if he asked. That only leaves…

"Chung," a voice called from directly behind him, causing both the prince and the half-elf to jump.

As if on cue, the only other person he could truly rely on at this moment stood before them. She flicked her hair over her shoulder as the black and white drones flew in to greet him in their sporadic series of chirps and beeps.

"What were you discussing?" Eve asked with a tilt of her head.

"Eve? What are you doing out here?" Chung scanned the area, half expecting the self-proclaimed genius to be nearby. He wasn't, thankfully.

"Collecting El shards," the queen stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh… still?"

The Nasod nodded. "The process is tedious without Add's help. But I found his presence… overbearing. I tasked him with performing maintenance on the airship in the meantime. What about you? What were you discussing?"

Useli jumped in, speaking quickly to cover their tracks. "Ah! Just the person I wanted to speak to. Don't mind us, we were just having small talk," the medic smiled, "I would like to commend you for your handiwork in saving the prince here and I've been wondering how I could go about applying your methods with mine since-"

Eve ignored her. "Chung," she repeated, "What were you discussing?"

"It's okay, Useli," the guardian said to her. He turned his attention to the Nasod. "We, uh… were discussing a private matter."

"About what?"

"Er… Chung?" Useli whispered in concern.

Chung nodded reassuringly at the half-elf. Afterall, Eve did keep his secret when he left the group a few months prior. "Don't worry. Out of everyone here, I think I can trust her the most for the situation at hand." He observed the Nasod's seemingly unchanged facial expression, noting the slight tilt of her head and the twitch of her lip. Despite the lack of visible emotion, he felt he knew her enough to know that deep down she appreciated the sentiment.

"Eve. I'm planning to do something incredibly stupid… and as much as I'd hate to get any of my friends involved… I'm going to need your help. Just for a little."

The Queen of Destruction crossed her arms, shifting on one of her legs as she silently listened to the young man's proposition. When he finished, there was not a response at first. Chung was unsure if she heard all of it, and was about to repeat himself when she finally spoke.

"Well? What's this 'incredibly stupid' plan of yours?"

Chung was actually quite surprised to see the Nasod complying so easily. He turned to Useli, who hesitantly began briefing the new member on the current situation.

After a quick gloss over the conflict as a whole and a detailed explanation of their objective, Eve took only a few moments to think over her options before turning to Chung.

"So, are you sure?" she asked him.

"Sure? About what?"

"About what you're doing."

"Well… we can only carry it out if you agree to help so-"

"I'll only agree to help if you're absolutely sure this is what you want to do."

Chung's brow furrowed upon hearing this. "What are you trying to say? This is for a good cause…"

"As is the High Commander's, Chung," her tone shifted, growing ever slightly more serious, "If you remember that morning before you left, I said something that I'd hope you've come to terms with by now: I want you to learn the meaning of true consequence."

The prince only vaguely remembered what she had said to him. It was during a time when he paid little attention to her or anything that had to do with her, after all. Unsure of what she was actually getting at, Chung gave an uneasy shrug at Useli who looked just as confused as the prince was.

After a while he settled on simply humoring the Nasod. "Yes. I'm sure this is what I want to do."

Eve sighed as she brushed her bangs away from her eyes, "Very well. You have my services. For now. What will you have the Queen of Nasods do?"

Useli spoke up when hearing this. "Yes, Miss Eve. You'll be following me into the servant's quarters. They're keeping Ara behind a locked metal door. The one guarding the door should have the key so we need to take him out somehow."

"Do I kill him?" Eve asked flatly.

"No!" Useli covered her mouth in horror as she quickly brought her voice down to a whisper, "No. Absolutely not. I just want to subdue him. And quietly, too. The less we alert, the better."

Chung raised his hand, garnering their attention. "You can actually reach the servant's quarters from within the castle instead of going through the side entrance. It's a bit of a maze from that direction but it should be a lot less noticeable than going in and out from the main castle courtyard. And… if possible I think Eve should leave the rest to you once Ara's safely made it out of the lower levels."

He then turned to Eve, "I just don't want to risk people finding out you were involved. This is just a precaution just in case we've been discovered."

"So no interfering once Ara has been safely extracted from the lower levels?" the Nasod asked.

"That's correct."

Eve's brow furrowed, "No matter the circumstances?"

Chung nodded, "I'm ready to accept responsibility if we're caught."

The queen paused, clearly not agreeing with the orders she was given. "Acknowledged."

Useli continued, "After we've successfully escorted her out of the servants quarters we'll bring her to the northwestern wall where we'll quietly let her out through the gate."

"Actually… can we use the southwestern wall instead?" Chung asked.

The half-elf shook her head. "That's a bad idea. If we move from the castle to the southwestern wall, it will pass directly in front of the guards watching the side entrance. That'd look suspicious if I were seen escorting someone to the castle's exit. Why don't you want to go to the northwestern one?"

Chung scratched his head uneasily, "Mud's going to be there."

"Who?"

"Mud is one of his friends that he's been traveling with since Elder," Eve replied.

"How'd you know that?" Chung questioned. He never discussed how they met in the first place so it surprised him that she knew. "Nanomachines?"

Eve shook her head and looked away with an upturned nose, "I'm very much capable of listening when you talk to others, you know."

"Well, that just makes it easier," Useli reasoned, "Instead of knocking out the poor fellow working at the southwestern gate, wouldn't it be better trying to convince your friend to, I don't know, look the other way while we get Ara out of here?"

"Knowing Mud he'd probably help," Chung sighed, "I just don't want to involve them."

"The less we have to hurt to get her to safety the better."

"...You're right… I'll talk to him, then," he grumbled.

"What are you going to do after she passes the wall?" Eve inquired, clearly thinking further ahead and reviewing potential issues.

That was a good question. One that Chung didn't think of up until she mentioned it. Fortunately it seemed Useli already had an answer.

"She's to leave Senace. From what I've gathered, she hails from the Xin Empire. Since we're on her continent now she could possibly find a way back home from here or wait until this whole thing blows over to rejoin you."

The prince had never actually considered the possibility of Ara leaving their party. It was like a dream thinking that this would possibly be the last time he would see the foreigner and he wished that it didn't have to come to this. Given the circumstances, however, this might be the best choice for her.

"Right," Chung said clapping his hands together, "That should be everything we have to worry about. And Eve? Thanks for volunteering to help us."

Eve said nothing and simply flipped her hair once more as a form of acknowledgement.

"What time are we doing this?" Chung asked.

The half-elf tapped her chin in thought, "The High Commander retired for the night not too long ago. It won't be long until the rest of the castle does the same but I'd like to begin the operation when everyone's fast asleep. I don't want others seeing us together either so we should separate for now… Until then… how's your astrology?"

 

* * *

 

 

The Celestial String: a somewhat curved line of twinkling light that began at the North Star and ended at the South Star. In colloquial terms they were called the Nape and the Tail, respectively. Everything else around it was just beautiful extras that complimented the line. Without a feasible way of telling time, Chung simply spent it lounging on the battlements of the northeastern wall, watching the moon cross the heavens.

"When the moon completely passes under the Nape," Useli had said to him, "We will begin the operation. Wait for us. Don't open the gate until we're with you at the northwestern wall."

Many of the soldiers had turned in by the time the moon neared the constellation that spanned across the night sky. During his wait, he looked back on the time he spent with Ara as a member of the El Search Party.

When she first joined, communication was near impossible with her. The only way she could convey herself to Chung was through awkward gestures and the universal nods and shakes of the head. After two weeks of this and before the encounter against Berthe at the top of Feita's temple, Aisha sat the foreigner down and force-fed her the basics of Elrian Common.

No one foresaw how crucial this lesson would be at the eve of their final battle for Feita. The fight against Berthe proved near fatal for a number of their members and probably would have been had it not been for Ara. It was only when she yelled "STOP!" that everyone finally realized the behemoth was only feeding off the El they were expending. The fight was tough, but no longer impossible, afterwards.

Ara wasn't exactly the easiest to convince to sit down and study like Chung had been, nor was she the best at absorbing the knowledge Aisha poured onto her as time went on, thankfully, the foreigner was able to piece together simple sentences just from listening to their conversations as well as asking what certain words meant.

Chung remembered about a year ago, shortly after the invasion of Velder had ended, that Ara was scolded harshly for her actions in abandoning the others in their time of need. Raven even threatened to outright eject her from the party if she continued the way she was. Chung remembered seeing the way her eyes searched around for ways to explain herself. She had wanted to say something to the Blade Master, but couldn't seem to find a way to say it. On top of that, her polite character held her back in speaking up against the mercenary.

"What did you want to say?" he remembered hearing Rena ask after Ara was finished being reprimanded.

The black-haired woman pouted, fighting back her tears. "Difficult. You understand no."

Back then, he wrote it off as a simple language barrier: of course they wouldn't understand it. She didn't have the words to convey it. But looking at it now… now that he knew that the Demon General Ran was her brother, was it really a case of communication?

The moon had completed its journey past the nape. Chung stood, dusting off the backside of his armor as he checked his revolvers and slung his cannon over his shoulder. They were precautionary; just in case. As he strolled along the castle's inner wall, he spotted a single shadowy figure enter the castle's main entrance.

He had to get a move on. Chung had no idea how much resistance the two would have in there but if they worked quickly he wouldn't want to keep them waiting at the gate.

The prince passed several lookouts stationed along the wall. Luckily for him, the men were spread so far apart that it'd be difficult to notice if one wasn't at their post. He had to remove the one posted above the northwestern gate then figure out how to reach the gate controls.

"Good evening, your majesty," the lookout greeted as he approached him. "You're up late. Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, a little. Just a little anxious and wanted to see how you all were doing," Chung spoke, feigning a yawn as he took his position next to him. He stared out at the ruins of the castle grounds from the invasion years past. Rubble of collapsed towers and destroyed homes dotted this end and it was clear why Useli chose this as the primary escape route.

Chung squinted into the darkness, focusing at a collapsed home. "Hey… Is it just me or do you see movement over there?"

This caught the guard's attention and he pulled out a pair of binoculars, trying to zero in on where the prince was looking.

The lookout slumped forward as the prince landed a particularly strong blow to the back of his head. Propping the unconscious body on the chair, Chung managed to position the lookout in such a way that would fool any of the others into thinking that the lookout was shirking his duty, thanks to the minimal lighting.

With the overhead threat gone, he took the stone stairs down to the gate. Swiftly leaping off the edge, he hit the dirt, startling Mud who was half asleep by the controls.

"Chung!" the square soldier exclaimed.

"Shush!" the prince ducked into the shaded area just behind where the soldier was sitting. "How are you doing, Mud? Keeping the demons out?"

"Sure am," Mud nodded proudly, "H… High… C… Com said that I's have to watch the, uh, the door. And not open it for no ones but him."

"Even for me?" Chung asked, as he idly stared at the lift mechanism. This was going to be loud if he quickly tried to open it. He'd need a second pair of hands if he were to keep the gears from clanging against each other after each turn.

"Nu uh. Nope. High… Com said that... no one can tell me to open the door or else Mud'll get in a big trouble."

"Aw, come on, Mud. Aren't I your friend?"

"Sure you are, Chung. Why?"

"Is High Commander your friend?"

"Duh… No…"

"So then you should listen to your friend right? After all, friends help each other out."

Mud was clearly at a loss now as he wasn't sure what to do at this point. "But… uh... Roger says that I's need to listen to him. Or else he'll box my ear he will."

Chung needed to hurry up. The two could come out at any moment and he needed a way to quietly open the gate.

"Mud. Remember that time you gave Pet your bread?"

"No."

The prince sighed. "The story Roger told. Remember? How you stole the bread and gave your friend Pet some food?"

"Oh! That was a g-good story. I remembers now."

"You helped Pet because she was sad. Now one of my friends is sad, too. Don't you want to help one of my friends?"

"Duh… but I don't have any bread."

"No, but-" Chung groaned in frustration. He was starting to wish another guard had been stationed here instead, "My friend wants to go out. They're sad here. They want to go home."

"I want to go home, too," Mud mumbled, "I's never been s… so sc-scared in my whole life. When we see the, uh… the bad people. I's nearly shit myself every t-time."

"I know, buddy. We'll make sure we get you home don't worry. But right now, my friend needs to go home. Understand. Her home is out there."

"But it's scary out… there."

"Yes but she feels safer out there."

"Why?"

"Because-actually it doesn't matter. She just thinks it's safer. You want to help her get to safety, right?"

"I does," Mud nodded.

"Great! So all we have to do is quietly turn this crank here. Okay?"

"Oh. Is that all? That's easy," Mud said, waddling over to the crank and tugging on the mechanism. Chung stopped him, holding the gear in place.

"Not yet, big guy. Just… wait until they get here, okay?"

The prince was quiet while they waited. The entire time, the square soldier was staring at him as the wheel in his head continued turning.

"Chung?" Mud asked.

"Yeah, buddy?" the prince replied, looking about for anyone that might have spotted him.

"This is bad, huh? We're doing b-bad things?"

"Mud… I really really really need your help with this. Please? Just this one time."

"Hmm…" Mud seemed to be genuinely considering his options at this point. "Will letting her g-go outside make her happy?"

"Yes!"

"Then Mud help Chung," he decided, as if it made the most logical sense in the world.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention and Chung looked up to see two figures cloaked in black approach the gate. It was easy to distinguish who was who as one of the figures stumbled with a very distinct limp.

"Hey. Are we ready? Who's this?" Useli cautiously looked at Mud as she drew close.

"It's Mud. How are you two? Is she good to go? Where's Eve?" Chung regarded Ara as the foreigner clung desperately to Useli's arm. Her eyes were red and puffy and her legs were bruised and swollen. It looked as if a stiff breeze would topple her.

"Erm… Eve's good. A bit singed but she told me she was fine. As for Ara, I managed to heal her enough to get her on her feet. Though they did a number on her ankles so I'm going to have to fix that right now. Open the gate, please? We'll send her on her way as soon as I'm done."

Singed? He wondered just how badly burned Eve was. He had only seen the Red Knights fight during the raid on the waterway but even then he didn't get to fully observe their fighting style. He just knew they had the ability to light their blades on fire. Still that was something he'd have to worry about later.

Chung instructed Mud on exactly what he wanted the square soldier to do and they slowly, quietly, opened the gate. The entire time Chung turned the crank, he was listening to Useli interact with Ara.

"Okay, Ara? I'm going to have you stay with me as long as possible, alright?" Useli said to Ara as she knelt down to Ara's feet. The foreigner placed both her hands on the half-elf's shoulders to support herself.

"I want you to squeeze my shoulder, got it? Just keep squeezing and if you feel any weakness, just let me know."

He watched as the foreigner did as she was told. Ara stood, eyes turned to the sky as she bit her lip in anticipation of the incoming pain. Green light enveloped Ara's ankle and Chung could see the grip on the half-elf's shoulders tighten.

The black-haired woman gasped as the bones in her ankle began piecing itself back together. Her hands were trembling... No- Her whole body shook, and with each agonizing second that passed, the girl swayed where she stood as she did her best to not put too much weight on her other foot.

"Almost there, Ara… just hang on," Useli cooed, not taking her eyes off the mending ankle.

A cool breeze caressed Chung as the gate stood half-opened. He held it there, feeling that the height was good enough.

"Almost there… almost there…" the medic continued. The entire time, Ara looked as if she was on the verge of crying out in agony.

The grip on her shoulder loosened and Useli immediately stopped, rising to her feet as she caught the woman just as she was about to collapse. The half-elf sighed as she tried to shake the young woman back into consciousness.

"That's about as good as it's going to get, it seems," Useli mumbled.

"We're ready," the prince whispered, prompting the medic to quietly hand Ara a bag of supplies.

"There are three flasks of healing potions in there. Drink one for one whole day. Okay? The other two are for emergencies only. I can only manage bread and water for food."

Ara nodded weakly before stumbling to the gate, still in a limp. She stopped near Chung, regarding him quietly as he held the gate open for her.

Ara threw herself on him, hugging him as tight as she could before whispering a thank you in her native tongue. He embraced her with his free arm while attempting a poor response in her language. She smiled as she stepped back, an expression that seemed very uncomfortable for her, as it had been a while since she last experienced any sense of happiness, as if it were an emotion of foreign luxury, but Chung could tell how grateful she was. For a moment, her eyes flashed amber-red. "Eun thanks you, as well."

With that, Ara painfully ducked under the half-open gate. He watched as the shadow cast on the floor disappeared beyond his view before he slowly lowered the gate as quietly as he could.

The entire process took a good five minutes of careful cranking to keep the squeaky gears from garnering too much attention. Only when the gate was fully shut did he let go of the crank in a relieved sigh. They did it.

The feeling was fleeting, however, for as soon as he spun around to the others he was greeted by the sight of Penensio clutching Useli by the neck with four of his Red Knights flanking either side of him.

"Tell me, Chung," Penensio began as he lifted the half-elf off her feet, his eyes not even regarding the half-elf, instead staring deep and unfaltering into Chung's. She struggled for air as her legs flailed about trying to kick him. "Does it feel good knowing you just gift wrapped a prisoner with vital information and sent it to the enemy?"

Chung stepped back, hands slowly reaching for his revolvers. "High Commander… Put Useli down. She didn't hurt anyone."

"No. She didn't. But she did assist in the escape of a traitor. That woman was hiding something from us. Something big. And you let her go!" The man squeezed, causing the half-elf to gasp frantically before Penensio tossed her aside, he spared no second glance to check on her status. She fell to the ground, gasping and wheezing for air.

He turned to two of his personal guard. "Gather a handful of our best men and find her. If she resists, kill her."

The two knights saluted their ranking officer and left. He looked over the prince once more.

"Who else helped you? Was it Elsword? Elesis? Or maybe that mage? Do I have to arrest them, too?"

Chung gritted his teeth, "Just me. No one else."

Penensio sneered. "Lock her up. No food for a week. She may be a traitor but she's still useful to us."

"I'll never work for you, again!" Useli shouted between heaves as one of the Red Knights lifted her up by her arm.

Penensio snorted at her. "If that's what you still believe after your time is up I'll have you executed. Until then you'll have a week of starvation to think about it."

"You're insane," Chung growled, pointing his revolvers at him.

"I'm insane?! You're risking the lives of an entire army for one person. One person who not only betrayed you but the entire mortal realm. For all we know she's could be going to meet that demon brother of hers this very moment."

"I wasn't going to sit idly by knowing you were going to torture her to death," Chung argued.

"That's not the point, Seiker. This isn't about her life. This is about ours. All of us. Your friends included. If you had a choice between sacrificing one of your group to save the rest what would you choose?"

"I… I can't make a decision like that."

"That's the reality of this world, Seiker. You're going to have to make sacrifices one way or another. Weigh your options, boy, and choose the path with the most gain."

Chung didn't budge, instead he kept his barrels pointed at the man he once regarded as his High Commander.

Penensio snorted again, "You're an important asset to our overall presence, here, your majesty. Had you been a common soldier I would have execute you on the spot. But I can't risk that with you. Not when we have so much on the line as it is. I'm placing you under arrest, prince. Now drop your weapons and come quietly. If you resist I'll be forced to bring you down."

"I'd like to see you try!"

The man smirked as his chest plate began to emit a fiery emblem in the form of a phoenix. "Challenge accepted."

Before Chung could figure out how to go about knocking out the High Commander, the man was already closing the distance. The prince fired, landing each shot on the man's chest which, miraculously, was simply absorbed by the plating. Before he had a chance to react, Penensio was already face to face with the young man.

The wind was knocked out of him as the High Commander buried his elbow into the prince's gut, sending the guardian crashing into the gate.

No sooner had his feet touched the ground did he find himself once again face to face with Penensio who was quick to send him toppling sideways with a right hook.

The prince scrambled to the side, dazed by the relentlessness as he tried to find his bearings. The High Commander was closing the distance once again. He was ready, this time as he unslung the cannon and swung at his assailant, forcing Penensio to back off.

The second Penensio stepped back, Chung quickly drew his revolver, again, placing a shot on the man's leg which, once again, was absorbed by an invisible force. He holstered the gun while the older man finally drew his blade.

The guardian remained on his guard, using his cannon as a massive shield as he waited for the knight to make his move. The man dipped his fingers into a small bag attached to his belt and traced an ink-like substance carefully over the large blade. Flame engulfed the steel and Penensio gripped the handle with both hands, pointing the blade at him as he took a fighting stance.

"You're going to lose, Seiker. I'll give you one last chance to surrender."

"Never!"

"Your funeral."

The high commander rushed him once more. Chung met the burning blade with his artillery piece, blocking and parrying each expertly aimed strike and countering with large sweeping swings at the largest windows of opportunity he could find. Each time he countered, however, Penensio quickly and expertly dodged it, knowing full well he didn't possess the strength to outright block Chung's blows. The older man weaved in between swings, carefully timing his strikes and gently nudging the direction of swings that drew too close for his comfort.

As the two clashed, Chung slowly picked up on his movement patterns. His tendencies and his flaws, although few and far between. His openings often came when the knight would redirect the cannon. That was when he'd strike. He continued the back and forth just waiting; biding his time until he found that opportunity to rise once again. Chung sidestepped as the heat of the burning blade clashed against his pauldron, singing his hair from the mere proximity of the intense heat.

The guardian kicked him, sending Penensio stumbling back as he wound up for a wide cleave. Penensio ducked, palming the cannon once again and forcing it just barely above his head. This was it.

Using the momentum of the swing, he allowed the cannon to carry his own weight. Rotating with the swing, he followed Penensio's parry up with a roundhouse kick that connected with the man's ribcage. It sent the man reeling in pain and Chung capitalized, still using the momentum for a wound up haymaker.

In that moment, though, he swore he saw the High Commander smile. The fraction of a second just before throwing the punch, the man lunged forward, driving a precision strike into Chung's exposed shoulder joint. The tip of the blade was stopped by the Frieturnier's back plating, preventing the blade from outright dismembering the prince but instead stopping his momentum dead its tracks. The burning blade cooked Chung's flesh and he could do nothing but cry out in pain as Penensio rose to his feet.

With his left arm, Chung raised the cannon to ward him off but, in his shock, he found it near impossible to move as a layer of thick ice suddenly burst around his entire left side. His eyes darted at his cannon. Glowing runes of ice covered his entire cannon. The man had been marking the prince's weapon the entire time! The realization came too late, however, as Penensio fed more of his El onto the magical scrawlings. The strength of both flame and ice intensified, effectively sandwiching the young prince in between two extremes. The prince's body could only lock up in paralyzation as fire and ice threaded his whole body.

"I must admit, you are strong, Seiker," Penensio said, pulling the burning blade out of the blackened wound on Chung's shoulder, "But your experience is lacking." Unable to catch himself with either arm, the guardian could do nothing but fall face first onto the dirt.

The prince could sense the man standing over him. Even though the blade was no longer engulfed in flame, he could still feel the red hot steel as it inched closer to his face.

"I don't tolerate insubordination. You'll wear this scar as a reminder of that."

Chung shut his eyes, waiting for the burning steel to press against his skin.

"No!"

His eyes shot open to the sound of Mud's voice and he looked up just in time to see the square soldier drive his fist into Penensio's jaw.

The High Commander stumbled back and the Red Knights accompanying him drew their blades at the single soldier. Penensio raised his hand, silently ordering the others to lower their blades. He spat out a tooth, wiping the blood that oozed out of his mouth.

"Stand down, soldier. This has nothing to do with you."

"No!" Mud shouted again, tackling Penensio and sending him to the ground in surprise. Mud had the man in a full mount.

"Stand down! I said-" Mud struck him. Again. And again.

"You no hurt! No hurt Chung!" Lefts and rights were thrown as each heavy handed blow landed with a sickening crack. The entire time the square soldier shouted for the prince's safety.

Penensio had enough. Throwing all his strength behind his fist, he struck the Mud right on nose, sending the man rolling off him.

"Mud!" Chung called as the square soldier tried to get back on his feet. "Mud! Listen to Penensio. Stand down!"

"No!" was his defiant, but confident reply. Mud drew his blade.

Penensio saw this and immediately drew his.

"Mud! Stop! Stop right now!" Chung cried.

"Mud help! Mud help Chung!"

"Stand down, soldier! Final warning!" Penensio ordered.

His order was ignored as Mud slashed wildly at his High Commander. His strikes were sloppy at best and outright misses at its worst. Not like it mattered as a quick, well-aimed stroke of the knight's blade severed Mud's hand.

The square soldier cried in agony that was only reverberated by the prince's screams for him to stop. Yet the soldier, driven by pure anger and fear, threw himself again at his ranking officer. The man merely stepped back, watching the pitiful sight before him as the soldier fought in Chung's stead, before driving the blade into Mud's stomach.

Mud fell silent as the pain of a blade being driven in him pushed him into a state of shock, forcing him to his knees.

Penensio placed a foot on the soldier's chest, pulling the bloody weapon out of him as he took a moment to catch his breath. Blood dripped freely down the ranking officer's chin and he ran his sleeve over it. He looked back at the Prince who lay helpless where he left him.

"I didn't want to do this," Penensio muttered. By this time the entire encampment was awake and a crowd had gathered at the northwestern wall to the prince laying face down on the ground and a square soldier on his knees in front of the High Commander.

"I didn't want to do this!" Penensio repeated. Louder this time. "But let this be an example of what it means to disobey my orders! I am the High Commander of this war! My word is law!"

Penensio turned to the prince, again.

"Never forget," he sneered at the prince, "You brought this upon them."

He spun around, making his way to the Mud who was clutching at the open wound in his gut. Grabbing the soldier by his hair, he pulled his head back, placing the tip of his blade on Mud's throat.

Chung watched in horror as this all unfolded. And for a moment time stood still. Caught in a plane where Mud remained petrified under Penensio's blade, he remembered the expression of happiness in the square man's face. He thought of just how easily it was for him to smile, the contagiousness of it all that would be accompanied by his goofy laugh. But now… all he could see were the tears streaming down Mud's face. It was heartbreaking knowing that this was the last emotion the soldier would make.

In the background, Chung could see all the faces that came to witness the execution. He saw Rena, Aisha, and Roger. All three held a look of complete and utter shock with Roger in the process of falling to his knees.

Noah stood with downcast eyes not too far away from the other three. She didn't need to watch. She seemed all-too-familiar with what was going to happen. With the years she spent under Penensio's command, Chung wondered why he never took her words seriously when she warned him not to be himself 'just this once'. He should've listened.

Up in the distant balcony overlooking the courtyard he spotted Eve. Still in the process of undergoing repairs, it looked as if half her face had been burned off. Useli had lied. That was a bit more than a singe. Just as Chung ordered, though, the Nasod did not interfere. Yet despite following her orders, he could very much guess what she was feeling as she looked down upon them. It must have been grief; the feeling of absolute helplessness and mourning for another. At least it should be. Or perhaps that was something only he felt between the two of them.

And then it was over. As soon as Chung was able to drink in the consequences of saving Ara-as soon as he was finally able to see the result of his hard work come to fruition, time resumed its cruel pace once more.


	19. It's Fine if it's You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His plan had been carried out. Although Chung had told himself he would be prepared for the consequences, he never expected it to take such a turn. Guilt-ridden from the loss of a dear friend, he finds solace through someone he would have never expected to care.

The metal door flew open as Helputt rushed into his son's room.

"How is he?" the king called in a panic, "Why wasn't I told of this earlier?" He pushed aside one of the doctors and knelt at his son's bedside.

The advisor, a lanky male with a large protruding nose cleared his throat. "Your majesty, with all due respect, the Velder ambassadors have been growing impatient these past few days and-"

"Why wasn't I told of this earlier?!" Helputt roared at the man, who quickly fell silent before his king.

Helputt turned to his son, a young boy with blonde locks carved into a bowl cut. His normally pale face was a sickly shade of blue and he laid in his bed gasping for air. A tube was wired to his chest, feeding his veins a clear fluid that seemed to do little in helping the child.

"How long has he been like this?"

"Two days, your majesty," one of the doctors replied.

"Two d-" Helputt looked as if it took everything he had to keep his composure. Deep blue eyes stared daggers at his advisor, "And you had me sit at some negotiation table for half a day while  _my_  son suffered?"

"Your majesty… I was merely following your guidelines to-"

"Out!" Helputt's voice shook the glass panes in the room. "Get out! Before I throw you off the balcony!"

Like a mouse before a lion the advisor quickly scurried out of the room, leaving the king to discuss the condition with the doctors. He was silent for some time as his big hands gently cradled the boy's head.

"It's not looking good… is it?"

Both of the doctors looked at each other uneasily. The short plump one spoke. "No, my king. It appears the prince has fallen ill to the same strain as our late Queen Raina."

"Papa…?" the young prince stirred. His voice was unsettlingly weak, "You're… home early…"

Helputt tacked on his brightest smile for him. "I missed you so much that I had to come back. How are you feeling, big guy?"

The boy looked as if he was struggling to gather the air to speak.

"Sleepy…" was his answer. "Am I… Sick again?"

"Just a little, son. You'll get better. You will, won't you? For me?"

Again, young Chung tried to gather the air to speak, but only managed a nod.

"You can't be a paladin like, that, you know! I asked you a question. I expect an answer. Why, all the other guardians answer me with a loud 'Ay, sir!' And I didn't hear anything from my son."

The prince drew in several heaving breaths. Maybe he was pushing the boy too hard.

"I'm joking, Chung… you just get your rest-"

"Ay, sir!" the boy wheezed.

A sad smile crossed his father's lips as he squeezed the boy's tiny hand tightly in his.

"That's the strong kid that I know and love. You'll pull through. Now you just get some rest. Your big man has a few errands to run."

Helputt leaned forward, kissing the boy on his forehead. He released the boy's hand and the child lifted his head weakly to look at the small trinket the king had placed in his hand. It was a wooden carving of a Hamel Paladin intricately colored in white and blue paints.

"I'll find a cure," the king muttered decisively, turning to leave the room, "Even if I have to search the ends of the world for it."

"Your majesty?" the plump doctor called, following him.

"You. What's your name?'

"Erm… Picklebottom. Doctor… Picklebottom, my king."

"That's Advisor Picklebottom, from now on. Inform the so-called ambassadors that the White Colossus has left on another errand. If they throw a fit have my personal guard see them out." Helputt's facial expression softened and he looked on at the man with exhausted eyes, "And… Do make sure my son hangs on for as long as he can… please?"

The new advisor stared up at the king in astonishment before gingerly bowing graciously for his new promotion. "I'll do my best, your majesty."

* * *

One time the bell tolled. A funeral service had been held. Pyres were lit and hundreds of Velder's men and women were given their soldier's right to a proper send off.

Mud was not among them. Traitors deserved no place among the righteous. Chung wondered if he were to fall in battle, would the army hold a ceremony for him? Would he be deserving of such an honor? Or would he join Mud in a nameless grave; left to rot among the piles of demon carcasses?

Chung had plenty of time to reflect on the decision he made as the ceremony proceeded far below. Locked in his old bed chambers high in one of the castle's many spires, it was all the prince really could do. He thought about Ara and her well-being; about whether or not she evaded the search party sent after her the night before. He thought about Useli and her first full day without any food. He thought about Mud and his expression of pure helplessness as Penensio had driven the blade through his neck.

As Chung reflected on all of this, he began to wonder where it all went wrong. Among the whirlpool of emotions that spun in his head, the lingering feeling of doubt in his own choices grew. Was it right for him to let Lyra fall to her death? Was it okay to let Julius sacrifice himself in the prince's place? Was sparing Ara from torture at the risk of the hundreds of men and women the best choice? Thinking upon his choices in such a way brought on such hatred for himself that he pounded his fist again and again on the stone railing until his knuckles ran red with his own blood.

The prince watched as the procession continued. Nearly all the soldiers had gathered en mass to honor the dead. Each one stood in a rigid salute as the melancholic send off from a bugle played.

Among the ranks were Noah, Elsword, and Elesis. Each one had visited him earlier and each one expressed their condolences regarding Mud's untimely death. He had expected Noah, of all people, to berate him for such stupidity but the Ice Princess, instead, regarded his actions with a nod, expressing how she expected this from him and reassured him that neither option would've been easy to follow through with.

Elsword and Elesis expressed their condolences by smuggling in a bottle of Velder's famous whiskey. Beyond earshot of the Red Knight guarding the doorway, Elsword told Chung that he would've done the same for Ara or any of the other friends. Probably. Maybe. Elesis, however, disagreed, standing by her statement that it was always better to save many over one.

Rena visited after the three and her opinion was the same as the Blazing Heart's, though she was surprisingly much more cold about it than the red-headed woman. Visiting alone, the elf scolded him for such brash actions without warning the others. She expressed how by doing so Chung is endangering the lives of his closest friends, especially Raven's who was still bedridden from his injuries. Even though Ara's life was spared, the sacrifices of thousands of soldiers were effectively being thrown away along with all the progress they've made thus far.

Aisha came by a few hours after Rena's and close to dawn. Having finished her early morning watch of the northwestern gate, she went into detail about what they did with Mud's body. Although it hurt to listen, Chung was glad he had some closure of the aftermath, though the truth was still unsettling. His body had been dumped in a mass grave where both demon carcasses and cockatigles were left to rot just beyond the castle's inner walls. She said that Roger was the one who carried his body and he spent a great deal of time standing over the pit before leaving.

The mage didn't criticize Chung nor praise him for his actions. Rather, she gave him a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen to as the prince went on and on about what he did and what he could've done. It helped but an ear and a shoulder could only do so much for a situation he knew he was completely responsible for.

As for Roger? He never visited.

To think he called himself a guardian. To hold on to such lofty goals that boasted selflessness when all he did was act on his own selfish desires. He deserved a far worse fate than being locked in his own room.

A knock came from behind him and he spun around while trying to recompose himself. On the opposite end of the room from his large balcony, the heavy metal door unlatched. A Red Knight entered followed by two silver-haired individuals: Add and Eve; both without their drones or dynamos. Of course they wouldn't have it. Penensio had forbade the mercenaries from approaching the prince's spire with their weapons. Fortunately, it seemed Eve's involvement in Ara's escape went by unnoticed. Even the horrible burn from last night had completely healed. The prince wondered how long it must have taken to fully repair her face.

Chung approached, them, leaving the balcony and stepping into his old bedroom.

The Red Knight silently nodded at the two of them before leaving the room and shutting the door. The sound of a heavy latch locking in place could be heard clanging on the other side. The two silver-haired visitors stood there silently as their host waited for them to speak.

"Good afternoon," Eve greeted.

"Uh… good afternoon. How're things down at the courtyard?"

"Uneventful. The half-elf has been detained in Ara's old cell. She is to go without food for a week, according to Penensio." Chung nodded half-heartedly as this was old news to him.

"And Ara?" Chung asked. He noticed Add had been glaring at him the entire time. It was unsettling to say the least. The Nasod didn't take notice as she continued on her report.

"Her fate is unknown. The Red Knights have refused to answer questions regarding their search but rumors have been circulating that they have not been able to locate her."

"I see… And the rest of our group?"

"Upon hearing the full story, everyone has agreed that you acted on your own. I have told them that my involvement is to be kept from anyone else outside our circle. Still, the group in general is divided on your decision to save Ara. I believe Elsword expressed it best saying he honestly wouldn't know what he'd do had he been in your situation."

Chung nodded as he took in her report. Though, now that he thought about it, he assumed Add and Eve would be the least likely to visit him next to Raven and yet here they were. He was sure neither would benefit much from coming to see him outside of sentimental reasons-none of which were either of their strong points.

"So…" Chung said after a long moment, "Why are you here-"

Add landed a powerful hook that struck Chung square on the jaw, sending him to the ground.

"That was for endangering my Queen," the mastermind whispered in a low growl. Chung felt his collar being pulled upwards, not even a moment was spared as Add struck him again.

"And this is for burning her perfect face!"

"Human," Eve interjected as the second punch landed. Her attempts at garnering his attention were ignored as the fanatic backhanded the prince, who did nothing to resist the punishment he was receiving.

"Enough!" the Nasod shouted. Hearing the anger in his obsessions voice quickly forced him to stop, shoving Chung back on the ground.

"But, My Queen," Add reasoned, "I'm only exacting justice that he deserves. He disfigured your beautiful features… It is only natural that I disfigure his face in return. Had you not specifically instructed me to spare him…"

"You shall not lay another finger on him."

Add bowed, "As you wish, Eve." He turned to Chung once more, giving the prince a swift kick on the gut all the while smiling cockily at the vermin on the floor before him. He looked back at his mistress, giving her an innocent smile as he showed that he indeed had not laid a finger on him.

The Nasod sighed, placing a gentle hand on Add's shoulder and leaning close to whisper in his ear. The Mastermind paused, listening to his queen's words as the cocky smile softened into one of compromise.

"Yes, My Queen."

She continued whispering. Again, Chung could see that her golden eyes were looking at him as she spoke to the other.

"Only for you… yes. You are correct, I'll apologize immediately."

Chung blinked as the man who was beating him only moments ago suddenly offered a hand to help him up. Hesitantly, the prince took it and for a moment, he could feel the overwhelming disgust the white-haired man had for the prince as he was pulled to his feet.

"Sorry about that, Prince Seiker. I've let my emotions get the better of me. Are you alright?" Add said, dusting off the young man's back and shoulders.

"I think I have a concussion, but other than that, I'm fine," Chung replied, wiping the trail of blood that dripped from his lip.

"Good.  _Good_ ," Add said with a grin. He turned to Eve as he gave the guardian a hard pat on the back. "See? We've become friends, again."

"That's all I wish for you two," Eve nodded in approval.

"Anything for My Queen."

Chung cleared his throat. "So did you come here specifically to beat me up or is there a purpose for visiting a traitor?"

"That was my purpose," Add replied, "My Queen spoke with Penensio, requesting an audience with you. I personally did not trust the Red Knights getting close to her so I requested to be her escort."

"Your purpose is fulfilled, then. You may leave us."

The Mastermind took her by her hand, "But, Eve. I won't leave your side until you're safely out of this room-" She slapped him. Hard. Chung winced at the sound that echoed off the stone walls.

"Out," the Nasod commanded, showing him the door.

The look of happiness quickly shifted to one of indignation as Add slowly turned and made his way to the exit. Rubbing the reddening mark on his cheek, he did not take his eyes off his obsession as he pounded on the metal door, prompting the guard to open it.

"Make sure he makes it down the stairs," Eve said to the guard who nodded in acknowledgement before showing the engineer out.

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs, then," Add remarked.

"Don't," was Eve's reply as the door shut with a heavy clang.

Chung and Eve listened as the footsteps echoed down the stairwell, giving Eve a chance to finally breathe a sigh of relief. The prince watched her as she looked around his bedroom.

To her immediate right from the entrance, in a corner walled with children's books and folk stories, was a child-sized round table. A dusty folder filled with colored artwork lay tucked under it while more intricate sketches of monsters and paladins could be lay on the surface of the table. At the other corner, a large toy box topped with old wooden figurines sat untouched for years.

On the opposite wall to Eve's left was a large, dust-covered bed with curtains positioned in the middle of the far wall flanked on either side by an armoire and curious set of storage shelves that stood as high as an average man.

Eve went to the figurines first, bending over to examine each one. To the left was a red and silver one; a knight of Velder. Armed with a simple sword and a shield bearing the Velder Crest, it held its weapon high as if rallying for a charge. From the looks of it, it seemed like it had been buried in dirt in more than one occasion as the paint had been chipped off and grime caked the smaller areas between the figure's feet and arms. To the right was a trock; a cute furry grey and tan native humanoid of the Sanders region. Distant relatives of the Pongoes of Altera, they were known for their shamanistic practices and overall kind-hearted attitude towards their neighbors. Unlike the Velder soldier, this one appeared largely undamaged.

Standing in between the two and easily the largest figurine of the three, was a blue and white Hamel Paladin. Decorated in its full plate and bearing a cannon similar to Chung's, this figure was placed defensively as a wall protecting the Trock from the Velder soldier looking to harm it. This figurine looked as if it had been intricately painted long ago but appeared to have suffered the abuse of an overly affectionate child for many years before finding its resting spot in display.

"My father gave me those," Chung said, taking a seat at the foot of the large bed as his visitor picked up the large paladin figurine, "Each one was hand made by their respective region's artisans. There's more in the toy chest, too."

Curiously, Eve lifted the lid on the chest and saw piles upon piles of figures hailing from all parts of the world. She shut it, not wishing to get dust in her circuits before moving on to the corner of books and drawings.

"You liked to draw?" the Nasod mused, looking over the pictures. One of the best looking ones was a paladin. Upon closer inspection, the soldier garbed in armor had two ear-like marks on his blond hair and cyan colored eyes.

Chung shook his head. "Not really. But there wasn't much to do when I was a kid. Especially when my father was always away." Eve left the corner, crossing the room to Chung's side as she eyed the large storage shelf.

"You were a prince, correct? Surely you had the freedom to walk the castle as you pleased." She opened a shelf and found nothing but a collection of sterilized needles. Odd. She opened another containing expired medicines. Another held old IV bags.

"I… wasn't exactly the healthiest when I was little," Chung mumbled.

"Your father traveled the world, did he not? Shouldn't he have spent his time with you?"

"He traveled the world looking for medicines to cure my illness. It's funny because when he actually came home, all the political stuff would have piled up that he would barely have time to see me before he'd take off on another search for a cure."

"Did he find one?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

Eve shut the shelves, spinning around to face the young man. "Your father's diligence was fortuitous. I would never have thought that you were once a weakling, given how strong you are, today. You've grown into a respectable young adult."

Chung ignored the comment and gave a half-hearted shrug. "Yeah, well… strong, sure. Respectable, I don't think so."

"What makes you say that?"

Chung sighed sadly, "Do you really want me to spell it out for you? It's bad enough that I had to reflect on my actions up to this point." The young man leaned forward, running his hands through his hair as he wallowed in self-pity.

Eve tilted her head as golden eyes scanned over him. "I'm not following. What actions are you speaking of?"

The prince looked up at her, disbelief splayed across his face. "I killed Mud! Were you not there, watching from the balcony when it happened? It was all because I chose to save Ara. I chose to save one person at the cost of everyone else's safety. And I did so willingly. I call myself a guardian… but what does it all mean when I so easily choose to endanger the lives of others for the sake of one person? Now my friend is dead and I have to live with this guilt for the rest of my life…"

The prince slumped forward as the guilt continued to well in his chest. How many more lives would he lose like this? He dreaded the day that he'd have to make a decision like this, again.

He heard the Nasod's footsteps draw closer and felt the shift of weight on his bed as she sat next to him. They were silent for a long moment. She didn't have to say anything. He was going to say it for her.

"You and Noah were right," he muttered, staring at his palms, "I can't save everyone. No matter what I do, someone's going to suffer for it."

He watched as soft, delicate fingers traced down his forearm, coming to a rest on his palm. Her fingers laced between his, and he winced as she squeezed over the torn skin on his knuckles. Without a word he returned the gesture, entwining his fingers with hers. It hurt having her fingers rest over his bloodied knuckles but the familiar comfort of the simple form of physical contact made it surprisingly easy for him to ignore both the physical and emotional pain.

"Now you know how I felt," Eve whispered.

Sad cyan eyes met with emotionless golden orbs once more as he looked on in confusion. Yet, in her gaze he sensed a worn feeling of melancholy and guilt that has been tugging at the Nasod's chest for years. He thought of the moment last night when she explained how she wanted him to understand real consequences yet she never elaborated. Was this what she was talking about?

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning to her more.

"I, too, had to make a difficult decision like you did. It was the choice to save a few over many. You should be familiar with it. You've been rebuking me for such a decision ever since."

At first he was unsure what the Nasod was talking about but as the gears turned in his head, it all slowly fell into place: the Nasod King.

He leapt to his feet, ripping his hand away from hers, the short relieving comfort now gone.

"Don't you dare compare my actions to yours," the prince growled. Yet even as he spoke he could feel his whole body shake as the realization settled in.

Eve remained seated on the foot of the bed. Through her blank expression he expected a hint of something on the lines of quiet vindication. But he found no trace of it. Instead he sensed something else swimming in those golden pools of hers that he would have never thought she could express: empathy.

He shook his head. "You don't understand. Unlike you, I've felt-"

"Nauseous?" Eve cut him off pushing her silver locks over her shoulder, "Did you feel disgusted by your own actions? Like you blame yourself for everything that has happened to the victims? Did you wish that there was a way to turn back the hands of time? Did you feel grief?"

She stood, taking a step towards him. Her eyes searched his and he looked away, denying the truth in her words. She continued.

"Because that's how I felt when I killed my race. Every day of my life afterwards I've regretted it-and I had you to remind me of my mistake every step of the way."

The Nasod turned her back to him, hugging herself tightly as her internal conflict visibly affected her ability to keep her composure.

"That's why I wanted to be sure freeing Ara was what you truly wanted. I wanted you to know what it meant to live with the consequences. You needed to experience it yourself to understand what I had to go through."

Chung remembered what she had said the day they met. They were riding up that elevator to the surface when she explained her reasons for acting. She had three choices:

She could meld with her network and gain control of the military-grade Nasods, protecting her loyal subjects in the process. Though preserving the king's corrupted core put her own codes at risk.

She could have destroyed the core and replace it with herself, giving her full control of the Nasod factories. Though the added burden of running an entire island with her coding alone meant sacrificing less essential portions of her code, including her ability to identify friend and foe. This put everyone at risk.

Her last option was to destroy the core and restart the revival process herself. This meant wiping out the current military-grade Nasods for the guaranteed safety of those that accompanied her. This meant completely starting from scratch with no one but the two drones that accompanied her to help.

For the sake of her new friends… she chose option three.

The prince clenched his fist tightly as he reflected on his own two options. Both had its pros and cons yet neither felt better than the other. He just didn't want Ara to die. That outcome was an absolute that he had to prevent. He felt like risking it all to save her from death was the best thing to do. Or at least, he thought it would be. What happened after was an outcome he could never have foreseen.

"Did I… do the right thing?" The prince questioned. Eve glanced over her shoulder.

"That's not a question I can answer, Chung. It's something you have to decide for yourself. And you must remember: what's done is done. The best I can do for you is help you cope with your loss and move on."

Help him? How could she? Up until now he has been nothing but a nuisance to her.

"Why… after all those times I've criticized you for what you've done… why would you help me?"

The Nasod turned to face him and saw a prince wrought with confusion and self loathing. He was broken. She approached, him, tilting her head as she gently lifted his head up by his chin. Chung pulled away, fighting back tears. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly as her lips were upturned in an almost unnoticeable pout.

"Because we're friends… aren't we?"

Yes. They were friends. How could he ever forget that notion? Despite all the things Chung had said to her, through his constant reminder of the choice she made and the callous comparisons to a mindless machine, Eve still saw him as a friend.

He embraced her. Her words had struck him through his chest like a spear and the prince could no longer contain himself. He buried his head against her neck as he poured his heart out onto her.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I'm so, so sorry for how I've treated you."

The prince knew he shouldn't be doing this. He half expected the Nasod to push him away at any moment; perhaps drive an actual spear through his chest. Eve did neither. Instead, to his surprise, he felt a pair of slender arms tenderly wrap over his shoulders, pulling him in tightly to complete the embrace.

"I forgive you," she whispered back.

It was like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He still mourned Mud's death but hearing Eve say that and knowing she would be there to support him made it much easier to bear.

The guardian released her while still keeping his eyes away from hers, too ashamed in himself to look at her. Chung forced a chuckle, wiping his eyes as he did so.

"You know, I've been wondering: you've saved me twice from Add but what have you been whispering to him to make him stop?"

"I tell him exactly what he wants to hear."

Chung's mind wandered towards everything from offering her body to him, to overly elaborate promises of power, and to assuring Add she would punish the prince herself. None of which sounded pleasant in his mind.

"And that is?"

"I'll give him a part of my personal coding if he behaves himself. If he fails to comply and continues to hurt you then I will bar him from any future access."

Chung blinked. He never was able to follow the complexities of Nasod coding but he knew Eve's in particular held quite a bit of significance especially for the silver-haired male who pursued it. He shuddered to think what he could do with that kind of power.

"You don't actually give it to him, do you?"

Eve crossed her arms. "I have a few times before."

"What?"

"Bits and pieces. Enough for him to apply himself. He's surprisingly adept in using it for his own Dynamo AI coding."

"Isn't that dangerous? What does he hope to gain from using your codes anyway?"

The Nasod shrugged, clearly not threatened by the idea of him using her codes against her.

"I'm not sure. But I've only given him nonessential coding thus far so he couldn't possibly do anything too dangerous… Though, recently, I have detected his attempts to hack his way through my defensive firewalls time and again, prompting me to reset my defensive programming every time I notice it. This is why I've been distancing myself from him as of late. Giving him some of my code is my way of bargaining should his presence prove to be too overbearing like today."

"I'm having a hard time following exactly what you mean with all this but I'm in your debt, still. If at any point he's being too much for you, just come to me. Alright?"

The Nasod quietly considered his suggestion and, after a moment, nodded. "Understood."

"Also, You're not going to slap me, are you?"

Eve furrowed her brows, curious. "Oh? Why would I do such a thing?"

"Because I… touched you," he mumbled, referencing the brief hug that he had given her just moments ago.

She tilted her head for a moment, regarding Chung with an expression he couldn't quite decipher, before the tips of her mouth just barely moved upwards as she shook her head slowly.

"It's fine if it's you."

Those words echoed continuously in his head as Eve's visit drew to a close. As minor conversations and farewells were exchanged, as the metal door clanged shut behind her and the lock engaged, her words continued to bounce around in his head: It's fine if it's you.

It was strange. It felt like the insurmountable wall that he had built long ago between him and that Nasod had been shattered by those words alone… and he welcomed it.

As Chung returned to the balcony overlooking the ashes upon the courtyard, a new, yet familiar feeling welled in his chest. A sense of uplifting serenity that helped lift the burden of his guilt. Out of all the visitors he had that day, he was grateful Eve was there to talk to. She was doing so much for his sake and he was in her debt, yet again. It was almost sad to think that the most he could possibly do is offer her solace in his room away from that technophile. Especially at the state he was in: he would rather be alone than around others... But for Eve? It's fine if it's her.


	20. Dark Horizons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unsure of himself after the previous events, the prince is tentative about his role in the war. Trouble is brewing however, and it won't be long until Velder troops are deployed for an even more harrowing mission. Will Chung listen to his orders to stay put? Or will he stretch his neck out, despite what had happened before, to try and help his friends?

Of the three days Chung had spent locked in his room, Eve had visited him the most. Taking him up on his offer of relief from Add, she would stop by at least twice a day, often before her assigned watch duty or before turning in for the night. Chung had mused that it was her way of wishing him a good night but in reality she would simply stand watch at his room's balcony while she altered her defensive firewall; whatever that was.

Very little, conversation-wise, would be exchanged between the two of them and every now and then he'd catch her looking at him. Chung rather liked it like that; the silent but present visitor. Still getting used to the idea of forgiving himself for his past deeds, he found it calming to have someone in the room with him without the obligation of engaging in small talk. Eve seemed to prefer it that way, as well, as the more time he spent observing her, the more the prince began to notice the small tells of her body language that broadcasted her emotions better than her facial expressions did.

For the most part, she was on edge. This was evident in the subtle ways her eyes would dart around more than when she was relaxed, the way her body shifted anxiously as she leaned over the guardrail, and how her hands would tap impatiently against the stone as numerous projected windows scrolled through her lengthy coding. He wanted to know what was bothering her so much but he never found any reason to ask.

It was on the evening of the third night, however, that curiosity got the better of the young man. Standing next to her on the balcony staring off at the night sky, he cleared his throat.

"How've you been doing?" he asked, trying to figure out the best way to go about talking to the Nasod after three days of silence.

"Nothing significant to report," Eve replied, stopping the blindingly fast scroll of coding on one window. She crushed a particular line of code with her hand before opening a projected keyboard to write in a new line. She continued like this for some time as Chung had hit a dead end in their conversation.

"Is redoing your… firewall thing difficult?"

"No," Eve stated flatly, "It's just tedious. As time goes on, however, I'll be forced to generate newer, more complex versions of my firewall. That human has proven to be far more capable at introducing trojans more advanced than my security programs can identify."

"And… that's bad, right?"

"Yes. Why are you asking?"

"Erm… no real reason. I just wanted to know more about you is all."

All the projected windows came to an abrupt stop as she turned to him, her brow furrowing in legitimate concern as she eyed the prince cautiously.

"You want to know more about me?"

Chung rubbed his neck rigidly as he realized why Eve would be so caught off guard by it.

"Yeah. I mean, out of the rest of the group, I feel I know the least about you. This whole coding thing seems like it's all you worry about and I was wondering if there was a way I can help-or at least learn what it is that's causing you so much trouble."

"It's rather complicated," Eve warned, "You wouldn't understand."

"You're starting to sound like me, now," Chung chuckled, turning his attention back to the activity going on far below.

He could see the soldiers move about in the courtyard like a colony of ants. It looked as if they were assembling for something.

"I'm sure if you can explain it slowly I'll understand. I'm not dense like Elsword."

The Nasod sighed, brushing her hair over her cone-ear-things. That was another topic he had been meaning to ask about. He watched as the Nasod rubbed her chin in thought.

Chung waved it off dismissively after a moment. "If it's really that much of a bother, then nevermind…"

"No. I was thinking of the best way to describe things to you without boring you over the nuances."

The prince shrugged, "I've sat through Aisha's lectures. It's nothing new to me."

Still, Eve looked hesitant about it all.

"Very well," She relented, sidling close enough to him that her arm gently rested against his chest. She closed all her projected coding before opening a window. It was a bit closer than he was used to but he didn't mind too much seeing as she was more focused on her work than the proximity of her student.

"If you're trying to understand how my programs work you're going to need to know the basics. This is a line of code…"

* * *

The prince's fingers timidly poked at the keys on the holographic keyboard. Being his first time using such a device, he only used his index fingers to slowly prod at each key. It was strange not being able to feel the physical contact of each letter he pressed, but at the same time seeing the projected buttons react to his movements.

The basic run down of terminology eventually boiled down to a coding lesson where Eve allowed Chung to use her projected controls to make his first line of code. Throughout the tutorial she herself leaning over him more and more often to point out the correct keys until she eventually just settled with sitting in front of him while he worked over her shoulders.

"And then end the string here," Eve said, giving Chung the time to find the proper sequence of letters across the keyboard. It didn't seem like it bothered her to wait as she seemed rather comfortable standing with both his arms around her as he typed.

"Done?" Chung asked, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. Coding was a lot harder than he had expected. To think that Eve and Add did this regularly at a pace far greater than his own.

Eve nodded. "Now we'll see if it works."

The prince stepped back as he watched her hands quickly manipulated the windows, physically inserting the projected hologram of his own coding into a waiting window. No sooner had she done so, another projection opened up as the program was generated on the screen.

A brief circular burst of white light similar to fireworks filled the screen. "Hello world!" flashed before them in golden letters and Chung's eyes lit up at the result.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, quite proud of himself.

"You did," Eve nodded, admiring her students handiwork before collapsing the window.

"So what can you use it for?"

Eve blinked at him. "You've made a simple text display. There isn't really much I can apply it to that would benefit me in any way."

The excitement in the prince's eyes quickly faded at the news and he slumped slightly as she broke it to him. It took him forever to write those few lines, too. The idea that his efforts actually did next to nothing in defending Eve's code was a bit disheartening to say the least.

"But…" Eve continued, thinking quick on her feet, "I suppose I can find some use for it in the future."

"Really?"

"Maybe," the queen replied rather dismissively as she set the program aside. The numerous windows of coding flooded the space in front of her, once more. "But that's it for today's tutorial. I have to finish rewriting my defensive firewall."

"Oh. Right," Chung muttered, "Thanks for teaching me, though. I think I sort of understand." He glanced at the moon as it was just about to pass under the Nape in the sky. He must have been under Eve's tutelage for more than two hours.

Down in the courtyard below, Chung spotted a familiar purple-haired figure stationed along the walls for the evening watch. From this distance it was hard to tell but it appeared Aisha had been observing the two on the balcony for some time. At least he thought she was watching them. He waved at her, and sure enough he saw the purple mage glance around before realizing who he was waving to. She gingerly waved back before continuing her patrol along the wall.

"What was that about?" He thought idly.

Three times the bell tolled and it was only then that the prince noticed that many of the soldiers had already gathered before the steps of the castle entrance. Standing at the top of the steps were the three officers: Penensio, Noah, and Lowe, along with Denka the advisor.

"Are we starting another mission?" Chung asked, hanging over the edge to get a better look.

" _We_  are," Eve corrected, "Rumors have been circulating that you will  _not_  be participating in the upcoming operation." Chung almost fell off the balcony when he heard her.

"What? Why not?"

She shrugged, "I do not know. But you are detained until further notice so that may be a relevant factor."

A projected window winked into existence as one of her drones streamed a live feed of the speech on the ground. Penensio had just finished giving his opening speech and was already going into detail of their current situation.

"-As you all know by now, our reinforcements have yet to arrive and are in fact behind schedule. While I'm sure this news is unsettling to the lot of you, I assure you that it is because we are actually getting not one… but five ship loads of new recruits."

The audio feed cut out as the resounding cheers from the courtyard could easily be heard up in the balcony. Whistling and the sounds of singing in celebration could be heard now that the men and women had something to celebrate. Penensio raised his hand, silencing the crowd.

"News of our valiant effort to drive back the demon scourge have not gone unnoticed. Warriors all over Elrios have been spurred by our bravery and the hearts of our families back at home have sung praises of our success. That is why, my fellow men and women of the Velder Empire, upon their arrival, the lot of you will be hereby honorably relieved of your duty and sent home to see your friends and family once more."

Once again the audio was cut off as the volume of cheers seemed to double at the news.

"They're being sent home…?" Chung mumbled. An incredible wave of relief swept over him as he no longer had to worry about Roger or the others' safety. Penensio continued in the feed.

"Their late arrival is scheduled within two days. Until then, we have work to do."

The crowd fell silent as he stepped aside, letting Denka take the stage.

"Hello, everyone! Hello!" Denka greeted, clearing his throat, "Some of you may have been there when the devastating tsunami wiped out most of our men during our occupation of Resiam. Shortly before the disaster-a week to be exact- Captain Noah and her fellow scryer, erm… what was her name-"

"Lyra," Noah responded.

"Yes, the captain and Lyra detected an unusual surge of El in the air; one which could only be generated by the Water El stone. It was, erm, small at first but the flow of energy continued to grow for the next few days. Although we prepared accordingly for a massive counter attack, the wave that struck our city could not be foreseen. We are… erm, hoping to prevent that from happening, again."

Noah stepped forward. Dressed in her regal Royal Guard armor, her form was rigid as she tapped the hilt of the mace against the ground.

"What the otter is trying to say is we've detected another surge. Thanks to the assistance of our hired arms: Aisha and Rena, we've detected this early."

The men and women broke into whispers among each other at the news. The auditory celebration moments before was completely washed away at this point. The ice mage slammed the hilt down harder, causing the tile to crack and garnering their attention once more.

"We haven't lost yet," she shouted over the growing sense of anxiety among the men and women, "Thanks to Aisha and Rena's attunement to the elements, not only were we able to pick up this anomaly, but we are also able to pinpoint exactly where this source is located. We can stop it. But we have to act quickly and decisively. Ending this problem before it starts is crucial to our success."

The last of the Royal Guard stepped aside, letting Denka retake the stage as he wheeled in a large board mapping out their current location:

To the east of the map was Hamel Castle. At the middle and slightly left of the center, directly west of the castle and along the cliff face, were the Halls of Water. This was where the El stone was supposedly held. So large and complex was the structure that it was intricately mapped to descend along the cliff face as well as follow the steep descent towards the Temple of Trials on the far eastern end of the bay.

Further inland, northeast of the Halls of Water and at the foot of a vast mountain range that separated Hamel from the Sander dessert, stood the Temple of Frozen Water. Chung remembered acolytes of water would go here to worship and bless the icy river that bled from the snowy peaks. The water flowed into the bay as a giant waterfall on the cliff edge. A big red circle was drawn around the structure. The otterman slapped the location with his pointing stick as he adjusted his glasses.

"The scryers have detected the source to originate here, in the Temple of Frozen water. If it isn't obvious by now, we are going to find this source and shut it down before it reaches critical levels. Now, when exactly this critical level would be… we aren't sure. But we'd be damned if we waited for whatever it's going to do. So we must use this opportunity to mount an offensive as soon as possible. And by soon, I mean tomorrow."

"Question!" a female soldier said raising their hand.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to wait for reinforcements arriving in two days? More bodies would mean greater success," the woman said.

Lowe seemed to be discussing the option with Penensio who immediately shook his head at the proposition. Denka answered for the officers.

"The last time we waited nearly all of our men were wiped out. As alluring as the idea may be, we cannot afford to wait if it means giving the enemy more time to gather El. By carrying out this mission we can effectively reduce future casualties as well as prevent any more of this from happening ever again. Excluding the few men and women we will leave behind to guard our walls and keep watch of our prisoners, we are going to throw the full might of the Velder army at it. Airship included."

"Damn," Chung slammed his fist on the railing. Just as Eve had warned, they weren't going to bring him, this time.

"Question!" a male soldier raised their hand this time, "What can we expect to run into?"

Denka rubbed his muzzle as he appeared to have difficulty trying to find the words to explain the situation.

"We're not sure," was the otter's answer.

Amidst the increase of uneasy whispers Lowe stepped forward, cape hanging loosely over his missing arm as he clutched his blade with his left hand.

"If you haven't heard from our scouts by now, the northern mountains are perpetually shrouded by a thick blizzard that has yet to die down. We believe the storm's presence to be magically influenced so information on that area is scarce. What we do know is that the closer we get to the temple, the stronger and colder the blizzard gets. So if you're asking us what to expect, I say expect to dress warm or you'll freeze to death."

The otter nodded and retook the stage.

"I know many of you are ill equipped for the cold seeing as all of our operations thus far has taken place in warmer climates, but you're free to layer yourselves accordingly with your spare uniforms. In fact, it's highly recommended. Now then, on to the details of the mission:

"Because of the lack of information we have on the exact layout of the Temple, we will proceed cautiously through the storm. Our elemental experts are to stave off the storm as much as possible. That  _is_  possible, isn't it?" Denka turned to Noah who looked at him and nodded as if to say he was asking a stupid question.

"I'm the princess of all things below freezing, after all. You're asking me if I can hold off a little snow? I'd be more concerned about our hired mage." She pointed her mace off screen and Eve's drone camera traced it to the purple-haired mage standing atop the wall. Too far to really speak from that distance, the mage managed a shy peace sign before attempting to wave her staff around as if to reassure them of her ability.

"We should be fine, then," Noah said, nodding at Aisha in acknowledgement.

Denka continued. "Very well. Due to the weather, of course, we cannot bring the Black Crow low enough to provide close-range air support. We can, however, utilize its long range capabilities to shell the area when we find the general location of the Temple. We will be using the flares once more but they will serve a different purpose.

"Upon locating the temple you are to use a green flare. From that point on we will split into two separate armies and fan out along the wall of the structure until we've reached the back corners on opposite ends. Expect resistance upon using the flares as not only will it let the airship know you've found the target but will also alert the demon presence of your exact location. Each group will have to fight their way until they've reached their objective. Once there, each formation will use another green flare and are to vacate the area immediately. This should help the Black Crow triangulate the position of the structure and you will have a time limit of five minutes to vacate the perimeter AFTER the last flare has been fired.

"From that point on, the Black Crow will saturate the area with artillery fire until the Temple of Frozen Water is completely leveled.

"Since this we will be essentially working in two groups we will be splitting our two mages. Groups will be separated accordingly by battalions. Lieutenant Colonels please step forward and we'll assign your groups to protect either Captain Noah or Aisha…"

Whispers could be heard through the live feed from nearby soldiers.

"Well that doesn't sound so bad," one said.

"At least we don't have to actually go into the temple," another agreed.

"And after this is all said and done, we can all be sent home! Finally, after three months of this shit I just want to get out of here."

"Three months? I was in the last shipment of bodies and I already want out," another laughed.

The video winked off. Eve resumed rewriting her firewall program as if nothing she heard was significant.

"So the ones that survive will be home after this," Chung muttered to himself.

Eve simply nodded.

"If Roger and Leo make it through this, they'll be safe…"

Again, Eve nodded yes.

"I hope they survive…"

The Queen of Nasods stopped, looking at him as the windows around her closed. "So you're not going to participate?"

"Didn't they say just a few moments ago that a few others were to remain here to watch over Useli and I?"

"True…"

"So then why did you even bother asking?"

Eve stepped closer to him, so close, in fact, that her folded arms lightly brushed against him. She raised an accusatory finger and pressed it sharply against his chest.

"Because I know you. I expected you to… immediately turn to me for help in escaping your room… In fact, this is unlike you to willingly let your friends go alone without you watching over them. Furthermore, this is your land, is it not? You are the descendant of a family who ruled this nation, correct?"

"But… how would you help me escape? I mean it's either the thick metal door which I can't break through without my weapons or a hundred foot drop off the balcony. And besides, I've been thinking…" the light in his cyan eyes slowly faded as he turned his head away from her, "Thinking that maybe it's best that I don't intervene. And the others would be better off without me around."

Eve didn't say anything. He continued to wait, half expecting her to criticize his words, yet he heard nothing from her. In fact she had been so silent that Chung had to check to make sure she was still even standing there. She was, of course, and she looked to be searching for something within him with her golden orbs. Was she looking for a better reason?

"I mean, think about it," he continued, "Their plan sounds solid enough. I don't want to just show up and expect them to suddenly accommodate me. What if I slow them down by being with a group? I can't exactly just charge in with the army unnoticed. I stick out like a sore thumb. On top of that I have to find my confiscated weapons and I don't even know where that is. What if Penensio is at the front lines and orders me immediately arrested just for being there? You heard it yourself I'm to stay here so-"

The prince fell silent as he noticed the Nasod's heel tap impatiently. Was she upset? To Chung it felt like she was but his confidence in his ability to read her wasn't exactly foolproof. He moved away from her and she did the same, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she quietly exited the room. Yes. She was upset.

* * *

Chung couldn't sleep, yet early morning came sooner than expected for the prince. As much as he wanted to deny it, every bit of him screamed to do anything else other than stay locked in his room. But what could he do? He didn't have his weapons and he couldn't escape. He could hear people finishing their preparations for the upcoming mission below and it only stirred his anxiety ten fold.

Is this really the best way to go about it? He asked himself as he stared up at a poster hung on the ceiling. It was a poster of a Hamel Paladin fully garbed in armor. "For the good of our realm!" was written in large print flanking either side of the blue and white knight. Was his actions of the past really for the good of the realm? Or was it really all for his selfish desires? The prince raised his fist up to the poster, forming a gun out of his fingers as he lined up a shot pointed at the paladin's head.

"For the good of the realm," he said to himself, "I'll stay right here."

He pulled the trigger.

The latch to his door unlocked and he looked up from his bed. Who could be visiting him this early in the morning?

It was the Nasod. Frankly, he was surprised to see her when she should be getting ready for the battle ahead. Though now that he thought about it, she probably didn't have to do much given the entire Nasod foundry arsenal could be summoned on a whim.

"Good morning?" the prince sat up, watching as the Nasod waited for the door to close behind her before she crossed the room to the balcony.

Hopping out of bed he followed her out.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have to go in a few minutes?"

"I made another bargain," Eve said, leaning over the edge as she appeared to be waiting for something.

Chung tilted his head curiously, "With who?"

"Add."

Hearing the man's name only worried Chung even more.

"You can't keep giving him your codes like this, you know. Aren't you trying to keep him from getting them?"

Eve didn't answer. Suddenly, from under the balcony, her black drone appeared, huffing and puffing in the form of beeps and chirps. It collapsed on the railing and Eve ran a gentle hand over Moby's head silently praising it for its effort as it basked in this rare form of affection. With a snap of her fingers, the drone shook itself from its exhaustion and flew over its mistress's head, tracing a circle and opening a dimensional rift. Out popped a strange black rectangular device about the size of an actual brick with two prongs sticking out on one end.

Having completed its task the drone nuzzled Eve on the cheek before she shooed it off the edge again, prompting it to casually glide off the balcony, rolling through the air like a ball. Chung watched as the tiny black speck returned to the ground level unnoticed by the rest of the soldiers who were too distracted with their war preparations to look up.

"So what's that supposed to be?" Chung asked, resting a hand on the railing. "If you're trying to break me out, I still don't have my weapons-"

Eve shoved it against his chest, eyes as emotionless as ever. "Rule number one of leading a nation," she stated rather coldly, "Do what you think is best for others. Not what others think is best for you."

With that, the Nasod left, knocking on the door before being let out.

Chung stood there, dumbfounded as he held onto the metal brick, unsure of what its actual purpose was or what Eve meant by giving it to him. It didn't look like a bomb. It was certainly lighter than it appeared as shaking it about revealed the device was largely hollow on the inside save for a few wires. Flipping it over he found a simple square button. If it was a bomb he silently hoped pressing it wouldn't activate a timer as he curiously pushed it again and again to see what it did.

Thankfully, yet to his slight disappointment, it did absolutely nothing. No lights or sounds nor signs of any sort indicated anything was even happening. He tried for several minutes to get something to happen with the device but eventually gave up, tossing the device on his bed before falling on his back within the soft folds of the dusty blanket.

"It's not like I wanted to escape anyways," he muttered to himself, "They'll be fine without me… They should be… Right?"

The prince sat up, shaking his head left and right in an attempt to push any doubt he had out of his mind. "They'll be fine," he reassured himself.

The sounds of the gates could be heard opening at this point and the marching orders began. They were moving out.

They'll be fine, he thought to himself, Penensio believes he doesn't need me so I'll stay put.

Minutes pass and he stared idly up at the poster hanging above him. "For the good of the realm!" he read, again. The rumble of the Black Crow could be heard drawing ever closer.

"I hope everyone makes it back safely…"

The airship cast a large shadow into his room, blocking out the morning sun from bleeding in.

"I hope Roger makes it out alive."

The ship slowly flew past his room. In that moment a spark caught his attention. Turning his attention to the metal brick lying on his bed, he noticed that the device had come to life as he saw the two prongs emit a stream of red electricity.

"What in the world…?" he tentatively picked it up, eyeing the red shade curiously. The red beam of energy changed to a bright yellow as the main port engines of the giant airship roared past the balcony, shaking the loose shelves open from the sheer proximity.

He brought the brick back out to the balcony and the yellow light turned into a bright green. The green light flashed and Chung scratched his head on what this could possibly be that Add could give Eve. Was this what he thought it was? A beacon? If it was, then that meant Add and Eve were helping him escape! This was his chance.

His finger hovered over the button but his doubt stopped him dead in his tracks. Was this really what everyone would want him to do? Was it right for him to just sit around doing nothing?

Eve's words resounded in his head.

"Do what you think is best for others…" Chung repeated, "Not what others think is best for you." Determination that had once been absent filled his heart once more.

He pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

Looking down he saw the flashing green light had shifted back to yellow. Did he miss his window?

In a panic he ran to the edge of the balcony. The ship was leaving with or without him.

He had to get on!

Looking about his immediate surroundings he saw he had no options at this point. It was now or never. He hopped on the railing, taking only a moment to posture himself and giving his mind no time to tell him otherwise. Throwing all his strength into one powerful leap, the young man threw himself off the balcony, holding the device in front of him as he hoped, no, prayed that it would change color.

For a moment he felt gravity beginning to do its work. He was losing altitude. In that small instant, for a very brief moment, the bright yellow changed to a flashing green. He slammed his thumb down on the button and in an instant his body collided with a metal floor.

Where was he? Was he in heaven? Was he in hell? He had no time to think as the contents of his stomach were quickly ejected out of his mouth as his abdomen curled in pain.

"Disgusting," Add grunted, wiping the drops of vomit off his white shoe on the young man's shoulder. "But then again that's what happens to first timers using a teleportation device."

Chung raised his eyes up to the technophile who stood before him. His head swam in circles and the world around him tilted in his eyes as he tried to shake the dizziness. The crew of the Black Crow circled him. Each wore a gasmask and had their weapons pointed at the young man.

"Though I have to say I am impressed by your jumping ability. I had my money on you not having the balls to even push the button, though seeing you fall to your doom would have been an amusing alternative. I suppose I can give you some credit on actually deciding to join us, though." Add laughed.

The surrounding mercenaries laughed along with him as a faint purple light shined through the left eye hole of each of the Half-Nasods.

"W… what's going on?" Chung asked, looking about at each masked individual's face apprehensively.

"Isn't it obvious?" Add stepped aside, revealing Chung's destroyer, revolvers, and white plated armor all neatly packed in a caged locker before him.

"As the queen herself suggested, I am to escort you to the battlefield."

"No. I mean the Black Crow mercenaries… They're acting strangely."

"Strangely?" Add tilted his head innocently. He looked at each one. "Boys? Is anything wrong? The prince here wants to know if you're sick… Did you all catch a virus or something?"

The mercenaries all silently shook their head in a synchronized fashion.

"See? We're all perfectly fine. Now. Get dressed, prince. You wouldn't want to keep our queen waiting… would you?"

Chung stood, eyes moving from mercenary to mercenary. Their heads all followed him like a vulture watching a dying prey. He walked along the path before him towards his weapons and the Nasod controlled automated system automatically opened the locks as each piece of armor was systematically brought out for him to put on.

As Chung slipped on each piece, he made sure to inspect the armor for any sign of bugs or alterations. He found none.

"What are you planning, Add?" Chung whispered to the man who observed him a little too closely for Chung to be comfortable with.

"Nothing, prince. But, you do like the upgrade I've made to the ship, don't you?" Add motioned towards his handiwork behind him. Unlike his last visit under Eve's care, the empty steel walls seemed a lot more high tech than he last remembered. Streaks of purple holograms pulsed through the halls moving from one room to the other. Automated munition assembly lines churned through the see-through grated floor below. Above him, numerous Half-Nasods patrolled the ship's interior like… mindless machines. It was like being inside a living, breathing monster.

"Every bit of the Black Crow has been upgraded thanks to my ambitious engineering prowess."

"It suits you," Chung nodded cautiously as he checked and loaded his cannon.

The entire ship lit up with warning lights, signalling they were approaching their destination.

Fully dressed and ready, Chung slung the cannon over his shoulder, stepping past the men that surrounded him and making his way to the main deck. Add followed him out and the prince kept a wary eye over his shoulder in case the self-proclaimed-genius was up to no good.

The guardian snaked his way through the pulsing halls as best as memory served him. Everything save for the route was completely different in the Black Crow. He didn't like it. Even the crew members that he passed shuffled along as if their legs had a mind of their own. And as he passed, the same violet glow faded in and out of the left eye of each mercenary's gas mask. It was as if the ship itself watched his every move.

Chung reached the main deck and he could already feel the chill of the air penetrate his armor. At the bow of the airship stood not a mountain range but a wall of thick clouds that shifted at the violent winds like a singular living mass.

"Well?" Add said as projected screens popped up showing the men on the ground were close to reaching their destination. "It appears you'll be needed soon."

Add stood by a row of tube-shaped chambers that lined the starboard side of the ship.

"Just hop in these rapid deployment chutes whenever you're ready and I'll send you on your way. Do be careful, down there. Wouldn't want you to die…"

The man patted one and, upon approaching it, Chung traced the tubes down through the main deck and ending in a simple row of shafts that lined an area between two large artillery pieces. The prince wondered if he was supposed to get in one of them, though the ejection process looked a bit… dangerous to say the least.

He paused, eyeing Add cautiously. "Whatever it is you're planning to do… I'm watching you."

Add grinned viciously, "I'd be disappointed if you weren't."


	21. The Merciless Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another surge of El had been detected. With reinforcements only a few days away, Velder cannot let the demons complete their ritual. Going against orders, Chung had managed to board the Black Crow with the help of Add and Eve and is now on his way to assist what is left of the army in their operation. But what awaits them through the thick blizzard?

A flare pierced through the thick snow storm, painting the surrounding frost in a dazzle of green. After waiting in anticipation for nearly half an hour for the first flare, the light was the only clear sign of life within the blizzard since the army had been swallowed by the white veil. Yet the relief of the first flare was short lived as, even through the wailing winds, an even more sinister unified howl of hundreds of demons responded to the unwelcome presence.

Still standing on board the Black Crow's main deck, Chung was unsure whether or not he should trust Add and his inventions. The self-proclaimed genius did manage to help him get this far, though. Why would he try to hurt the prince now?

"Time is ticking,  _your majesty_ ," Add mocked, bowing in an overly courteous fashion as he motioned Chung towards the Rapid Deployment Chutes. The prince approached the row of metal cylinders cautiously and stopped at the entrance.

"This… isn't going to kill me, is it?"

"It  _definitely_  won't kill you," The white-haired male stated with a wry smile.

Chung sighed. There really was no other way down other than through the tubes. He carefully stepped into the tiny room, pulling his destroyer in with him as close as possible as the thick glass door slid shut in front of him. There was barely any room. With his cannon, he felt himself press against the rounded edge of the metal cylinder. Through the glass he could see the technophile working his magic through a series of projected windows.

"You're a lot heavier with that cannon," Add muttered, his hand turning up the dial on a few holographic knobs, "This will be a good first test run. Happy landing!" Add pressed a button.

"First test?!" Chung shouted through the glass. But before he could protest, he felt his gut fly up to his neck as he was shot out of the tube feet first towards the earth.

Frost and wind peppered his face as he was propelled through the thick blizzard towards the origin point of the first flare. His trajectory was traced by four purple lasers that surrounded his body and guided him through his flight like a rail. His distance to his destination was marked along the upper left laser railing in meters and he flew through the first several hundred meters at a blindingly fast pace.

By the 300m mark he was already bracing himself for a fatal landing.

200m. No signs of slowing down.

100m. This was it.

At the 50 meter mark his feet physically connected with a projected web that was resting along the guided rails and his body passed through it at a somewhat slower rate. At the 40 meter mark, it was the same thing. The web was stronger this time. The same followed for every ten meters until he hit the earth as effortlessly as jumping down a short ledge.

He survived. He may be waist deep in freezing snow but the feeling of ice on his legs was enough to reassure him that he landed without a scratch. Strange would be an understatement on how the landing felt. The sensation was akin to something like falling into a pillow or a giant marshmallow.

Shaking off the snow proved effortless as the thick blizzard pummeled him. Looking around through the storm he could barely make out the looming walls of a structure directly in front of him. This must be the Temple of Frozen Water. This must have been where the Velder army launched their first flare. Investigating the scene further he found traces of where the army had split. One path led towards what he assumed was the west along the wall while the other traveled at a more northeastern direction.

Recalling the briefing from last night one side should have Noah, and the other will have Aisha. It didn't matter which side he chose, now that he thought about it, as he wasn't sure which group went where. He just had to choose-

Flashes of orange and blues could be seen to his northeast. Demonic shrieks and the Velder battle cry could just barely be heard through the howling winds.

Slinging the cannon on his shoulder the prince began slogging through the snow towards the signs of battle.

Each step he took was through waist deep snow. Even despite being recently traversed, the snow had already piled high enough to nearly make it impossible to pick out the trail. With eyes locked on the general direction of fighting and the slow lurching through the snow, Chung became very much aware of how ill prepared he was for the winter climate. He wrapped his blue scarf around him more tightly, hugging his arms as his plated armor did little in staving off the cold.

By the time he found the first body of a Velder soldier Chung was already shivering violently from the intense cold. The flakes of snow had turned to small hailstones and he had to shield his face to avoid getting hit. Stepping closer to the body, the prince didn't recognize the face but also failed to notice any signs of injury for the man wrapped in red. By the blue on the body's face it looked as if he had simply frozen to death. It made sense. They were already knee deep in snow well before they even fired the first flare anyways.

Chung took a quick glance around before whispering a small apology to the corpse and pulling off the man's top piece. The thin cotton uniform did little to abate the cold but the prince threw it over his armor anyways. If he found more bodies along the way he'd take their clothing as well.

Garbed in red, the guardian resumed his slog through the snow towards the sounds of battle that never seemed to draw any closer the further he traveled. It was like hiding under a massive blanket where the only real sense of direction he got was whenever someone would shine a light through the cloth.

Another body. This time amidst a pile up of bloody snow. By then, the hail stones were large enough to force Chung to use the cannon as a shield. The ice struck his armor with such force, now, that they bounced off loudly like rocks. As he approached, Chung gasped at the sight of the lifeless body.

Turning the body over, he was half expecting to find the man either crushed or torn limb from limb. It was neither. Instead the corpse had been skewered not from demonic spines or arrows-but from needle-like shards of ice. Roughly as long as an arrow, each icicle pierced right through the leather armor and even dented the man's plated helm. If the five shards embedded in his chest hadn't killed him, the spine that was still lodged in his neck definitely finished the job. A volley of ice rattled against his cannon, again, and he was quick to realize just how dangerous the hail storm was.

Peering through the storm once more, the prince could see three more lifeless figures lying in the snow. He pushed past each one, quickly glancing at each frozen face anxious to see if he recognized any of them. None so far, yet it still pained him to see that another life was lost to the blizzard or the demons. It did, however, mean his friends may still be unharmed out there and each second that ticked by only put them more at risk. Chung doubled his pace in an attempt to catch up with the group.

The sounds of battle were drawing closer as Chung panted through the waist-deep snow until he caught his first sign of movement through the veil. It was black and cut across his field of view from the right bounding to the left on all fours. It was a strider! It doubled back, cutting from his left to his right as Chung approached for a clearer view and it became apparent that the strider was part of a whole pack that circled a large, magical dome of ice. Through the distorted view, the prince could just barely make out the body of red-garbed soldiers huddled at the center and a bright blue staff shining in the middle.

The strider dove in with its pack and once again flashes of light could be seen along with the sounds of combat. Chung watched as one of the large black figures trampled through the ranks, stepping and impaling soldiers with their spine-like legs before picking one up with its jaws and throwing them out of the safety of the barrier. No sooner had the soldier hit the snow was she cut down by the needle-like hail.

"We found it!" the voices of soldiers could be heard shouting through the storm.

"Confirmed visual launch the flare! Launch the flare!"

A flare rocketed into the sky, painting the white veil surrounding Chung in a fantastic display of green. The light show was accompanied by a resounding echo of cheers.

"Mission accomplished, men! Let's get the El out of here!" a voice cut through the magical barrier.

Slowly, the dome of ice moved away from the temple as Chung tried his best to keep up with the bubble. Still waist deep in snow, the prince struggled to keep from freezing and falling over with each step he took. Underneath the layer of snow, however, his foot was caught on an unseen step and he fell face first into the snow with the weight of the cannon pushing him all the way down against the cold stone pathway.

The prince huffed under the weight of his cannon. The weapon felt much heavier with the cold sapping most of his strength. He didn't need it, however. With their mission accomplished, Chung was glad the casualties were kept to a minimum. He just had to catch up with the others and-.

The ground shook. Unbeknownst to the group within the safety of the barrier, the guardian could feel the subtle rumble in the earth and the almost indiscernible sound of an approaching threat.

Struggling to push his way out of the layers of snow, the distant rumble only grew as the muffled sounds of heavy footsteps trudged through the snow around him.

Still completely buried in frost, the prince rolled on his back, drawing his revolvers as he carefully pushed the cannon aside to get a better view. He peeked his head out just in time to see a shadow defender silently float past him as a horde of demon spawns quietly began encircling the protective dome.

Though they made not a single sound, Chung witnessed as each Shadow Walker quietly signal the others to maintain a safe distance out of sight in preparation for an ambush. More of them passed the unseen prince. In his immediate area alone he counted at least a dozen poised and waiting to strike.

This was bad. The Velder army had no idea what was happening just beyond the ice barrier. If he let the demons set up the ambush now then it would spell death for the men and women inside the dome. But at the same time if he tried to alert them the horde that surrounded him would surely rip him to shreds if the blizzard didn't first.

He had to think of something. Fast. Every moment that ticked by only gave the scourge more time to gather and made the situation increasingly difficult to deal with.

The magical barrier slowly moved through the layers of snow. Thick sheets of ice was warped around it making vision beyond the walls nearly impossible for the soldiers huddled inside.

The needle-like ice that easily pierced leather merely glanced off the hardened scales of the monsters that were slowly encircling their prey. Like a pack of hungry wolves stalking the unknowing sheep, each bared their claws and fangs in eager anticipation for the signal to attack.

A single cannon blast erupted from behind their ranks as a single guided missile flew straight up into the air. Unsure what was going on, the demons nearby could only watch as the trajectory oddly began to change, turning downward and connecting with a defender before it had a chance to release its miasma. The clump of Dark El shattered in a bright display of purple and blue, causing the rest of the demons to follow the fading smoke trail to a lone figure dressed in red standing amidst the snow.

No sooner had the threat been identified were the nearest demons already on top of the figure, Burying tooth and claw into its flanks and looking for any limb to rip off of it.

"Incoming!" Chung shouted as he pushed through the magical veil. Immediately he found himself face to face with a tight formation of shields, spears, and crossbows. Hundreds of Velder soldiers stared in wide-eyed confusion as the prince raised his hands up to show he wasn't a threat. Among the large crowd he spotted Elsword, Elesis, Rena, and Eve already responding to his sudden appearance. Out of the bewildered reaction from his closest friends, Eve was the only one who looked as if she had expected him to arrive earlier.

"Chung?!" Aisha cried. Standing at the center of the barrier, she hovered over the crowd of soldiers as her El surged through her body. "What are you doing here?"

As she spoke the barrier weakened. Hundreds of shards of ice penetrated the defensive walls, causing the soldiers to duck behind their shields as a volley of angry shouts came her way.

"Focus on the damned barrier!" A soldier shouted.

"We'll die if it lets up!" Another added.

Saying nothing further, her glowing staff was raised to the air as she tried to refocus all her magical energy to maintaining the shield. The soldiers cautiously lowered their own shields once the hail ceased and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"We can't stop now! We have to vacate the area before the third flare!" a soldier shouted. Through the whispers of agreement a single soldier pushed his way through the ranks towards the Hamelian standing at the edge of the barrier.

"Before we go, I have a question," the familiar voice echoed over the rest as he stood face to face with his friend for the first time in weeks. "Why are you here?"

"Roger…" Chung muttered the name, an image pulsating through his mind of the tall soldier carrying Mud's dead body into a mass grave where he would be left to rot. "It's a complicated story and I don't have time to explain! You guys are in immediate danger!"

"Yeah? No shit. We've been shooting and stabbing our way here and we're going to shoot and stab our way out. That was the plan and that's how we're going to do it… unless you've somehow fucked this over for all of us, again. Why are you here?" Roger demanded, fists clenched as he approached the prince.

"Look… If this is about him, I'm sorry! But right now we can't stop here we have to keep-"

Chung felt his feet lift off the ground as a powerful haymaker connected with the side of his head.

"He. Was. My.  _Brother_!" Roger cried, standing over the prince as he drew his blade. "You have no right to tell us what to do after what you did to us… what you did to Mud."

Chung wiped the blood from the fresh cut under his eye as he tried to get up only to find the sharp end of the blade pressed against his neck. He could feel the tremble of Roger's hand as the sword threatened to draw blood.

"I should kill you," Roger bitterly remarked, looking down at him as a mix of fury and sorrow clashed in his deep, socketed eyes. "I should kill you and leave you here to rot… But…"

The tall soldier shook his head as hesitation took over.

A gloved hand rested on Roger's shoulder and they both looked to see Elesis standing behind him.

"You can kick his ass later, soldier. Right now, we have a mission to worry about," the Blazing Heart said calmly though the flickering aura of flame revealed she was anything but calm.

"I want you to stay there. Stay right there and leave us be," Roger mumbled, stepping back.

"Get back in line, soldier," Elesis commanded and he obeyed, leaving Elesis alone with Chung. Still watching the soldier make his way back to the huddled masses, the red-haired beauty spoke to the prince.

"He has every right to be upset, you know," she said, not offering a hand to help Chung off the snow.

"Yeah. But I can't turn back the hands of time. This is how it is now and the best I can do for you all isn't through dwelling in the past… it's through doing what I can to keep you safe."

Elesis turned her head slightly towards him, staring at him through the corner of her eye. "That's surprisingly mature of you to say. So… why are you here?"

Before he could speak, a green light flashed in the distance and in that moment, everyone within the circle spotted the silhouettes of hundreds of demons that had completely surrounded them by now. Fully aware that their ambush had been given away, the silent looming presence came to life in a chorus of roars and shrieks.

"Third flare confirmed! Five minutes until bombardment!" A field officer barked.

"Move it! Double time!" Elesis yelled.

"Where? We're completely surrounded!" a soldier said in a panic.

"We'll make a path! Eve, Rena, crossbowmen, lock and load! We're moving east. Clear a path east!"

Eve and Rena along with several dozen crossbowmen moved to form a firing line on the eastern side.

"We have no visual on the threat," Eve reported, her plasma blaster spinning up its gyroscopic stabilizers.

"We're not looking to aim, we're looking to clear a path!" Elesis said.

"But with crossbows?" one of the bowmen responded in concern.

"We move after the first volley! Firing line, ready!" Rena barked.

Something was flung through the wall of ice, nearly slamming into the prince. It struck the layers of snow and flipped several times across the ground before slamming against one end of the firing line and taking out three of the soldiers unlucky enough to be standing within it's path. The first unfortunate soul to be hit was immediately killed by the impact while the other two were gravely wounded as the weighted object rolled to a stop over one person's chest and another's leg.

It was Chung's destroyer. Covered in scratches and bite marks as well as what was left of the shredded red uniform wrapped around it, he felt directly responsible for the men's lives as he had left it as a diversion to draw attention away from the demons when he made a run for the dome earlier.

As he hurried over to help the men out from under the cannon, he noticed the icy barrier fade yet again. Sharp hail slowly began to pierce through the shield, skewering the men and women once more. A wave of jeers were directed at the mage as shields were once again raised to block the incoming shards.

Picking up his cannon, Chung saw that Aisha looked to be at her limit holding the ice barrier intact as she struggled to speak without losing focus.

"It's… not… me!" the mage cried out, pumping as much El into the barrier as she could, "Something… is… weakening the shield… I can't… keep it up at this rate!" The shield waned yet again and larger, more lethal shards pierced through the magical defenses. Chung watched as a rather large shard connected squarely with a soldier's raised shield. So strong was the impact that his arm was immediately shattered and he was flung back from the impact, knocking others within the defensive shell over.

If it wasn't her, Chung thought, then what could be weakening her shield? At this rate they were all going to die. His head ran through all the possibilities.

"Shadow defenders!" Chung yelled over the rest. "I saw them circling us just beyond the barrier! We have to take them out!"

"Where are they?" Rena searched, eyes scanning the thick barrier wildly for their targets. Nothing but the white shroud of ice surrounded them.

"I'm not sure. But there are several of them. There should be- look out!" Chung wound up and swung his cannon upward, shattering a large icicle that would have ended the elf.

"Incoming west side!" Another soldier shouted just as a wave of walkers and crushers stepped through the veil.

"Defend the mage! Destroy those shadow defenders!" Elesis commanded as half the group formed a defensive line between the approaching crushers and Aisha.

"We gotta find those defenders before the shield collapses," Chung said to Rena and Eve as he rushed back to the edge of the protective sphere.

"How?" Rena called after him. "It'll be difficult to find them in this storm. You weren't there when I fought them but my arrows melt into nothing once they enter the miasma those monsters spew."

Chung came to a full stop a mere step away from the edge of the dome. How, indeed, he thought. If Rena's magical arrows had little effect his bullets wouldn't do much as well. He could also do it the old fashioned way and find the demons disrupting the shield and smash them to bits but with a barrier this large that'd mean walking the entire perimeter searching for each one. With less than five minutes before the bombardment, time was a fleeting luxury.

A plume of leaves erupted behind him and Chung spun around to see a crusher stepping through the veil behind him with arms raised and ready to pummel him to the ground. The only thing preventing him from doing so were magically imbued vines immobilizing the beast. Three glowing twigs whistled past the prince's head, embedding themselves in the softer chest scales as the familiar yellow sap dripped from its leaves.

"Stand back!" Rena called to the guardian who stumbled backwards before turning to put distance between him and the demon. The vines snapped from the demon's strength and it reached to remove the arrows only to have his torso blown open as Rena detonated the explosive charges.

More stepped through the barrier in front of Chung and the prince could only back up towards the rest of the group as he realized they were coming in from all sides. Again the barrier waned as more of the deadly hail bled through. Shards whizzed by his head, battering his armor as he raised his cannon to block the incoming rain of knives. Several more soldiers were skewered by the merciless storm as only a few managed to raise their shields in time.

"Defensive positions!" Elesis barked as she cleaved a walker in half, "Shell formation! Move!"

The Velder army knew what to do. Swordsmen and spearmen formed two circular layers of shields around the outer edge of the group as the crossbowmen moved behind the defensive line. Chung ducked behind the line as well as spears were pointed outward through the cracks of their wall of steel.

Several dozens of demons entered in from all sides, completely surrounding the remaining three hundred soldiers. Slowly they advanced. Circling as each of the hellspawned beasts tried to find the easiest way to pick apart the human's defenses.

Closer and closer they drew until they were just beyond a spear's reach. There they stood: a wall of black-scaled beasts staring down each soldier through the wall of shields as if daring the soldiers to make the first move.

"Fire!" Rena ordered as a wave of crossbow bolts and arrows struck their intended targets. A few fell lifeless as the bolt destroyed the El shard embedded deep in their scales while the rest roared in response, pushing into the defensive line.

"Go!" Elesis barked and the rows of spears were thrusted outward, impaling the beasts before pulling back. Still, the beasts continued to try to push through.

"Go!"

Again the spears were thrust outward, killing a few more the second strike around. Yet for each demon that fell, another would take its place.

"Aim for their weak point! Go!"

Once more the spears were driven into the beasts. The crushers grabbed the spears, pulling them outward, some with the soldier still clinging on to it.

Pulling them out past the wall of shields, the soldiers unfortunate enough to be caught out there could only struggle to get in before they were picked up and flung towards the edge of the barrier where hundreds of other demons waited to break their line.

"Go!"

Again, more demons fell, yet with each strike the defensive line grew more and more uncoordinated as holes began to form with each soldier that was picked off or pulled away from the line.

Through the layer of black scales, Chung could only see more and more demons pouring in. This wasn't working. If they were going to move it had to be soon or else the bombardment would annihilate them all.

He could awaken his inner fire. But would his increased combat strength be enough to deal with all the demons pouring in? He shut his eyes, trying to bring that same sensation back to his body once more.

"Chung…" Elsword whispered to him as they both stood within the safety of the formation. The prince snapped out of focus and turned to his friend. He was silently motioning towards the purple-headed mage at the very middle.

An empty mana flask rested at Aisha's feet and a second one, half-empty, was clutched tightly in her trembling hands as she looked to be at her limit in holding the barrier up. Rena stood next to her, a glowing green hand resting on the girl's shoulder as she fed the girl her El to supplement the growing strain.

"What do we do?" Elsword continued as Elesis shouted for another attack. More could be heard being pulled out of the shell.

"We have to do something other than sit here," Chung mumbled.

"Yeah, but what? We can't move. We're surrounded."

"Fire!" Rena shouted as the crossbowmen shot another volley.

"Aim for the gods damned weak points!" the Blazing Heart cried out in frustration. The guardian watched as each strike from the spearmen sloppily landed anywhere on the demon's body which did little more than anger the hellspawns. He knew generally where the weak points were but how could he broadcast it to each of the soldiers fighting?

Chung scratched his head in frustration. They had to do something. Time was ticking. Maybe he could mimic Rena and give the power of awakening his inner fire to the rest of the group. Maybe that'd give them a fighting chance. Maybe. But how? He only managed to awaken once and that took all his concentration to keep it from naturally flowing to his revolvers.

A shieldbearer was pulled from the ranks, creating a large hole in their defenses as swordsmen moved in to defend the breach. Elsword responded as well, leaving Chung to watch as more bolts were loaded onto the crossbows. They were all going to die. With the sloppy strikes and the missed shots, the monsters weren't dying fast enough to give them time to move.

He remembered the Julius's fight against Victor. How he used his El to move his own body even through broken bones. He remembered what Noah had said to him when she explained how he did it. Chung just had to show them where to hit. He raised his revolver to the sky as the chamber of his revolver shone with magical energy.

"The El… is my will made manifest…"

He pulled the trigger.

The air around him crackled with El, expanding outwards as time itself came to a crawl. His eyes shined a dazzling blue as he felt the snow at his feet slowly rise from the sudden burst. Everything was at a near standstill around him. His eyes drank in the surroundings, taking in every bit of detail from the fringes in Eve's hair to the number of scales in a single demon's finger. He moved. It was slow in his perspective but it was still much faster compared to the other's. The burst of El continued to expand, enveloping the crossbowmen in its light and for a brief moment, the same dazzling blue flashed in their eyes.

It swallowed Aisha, Rena, Elesis, Elsword, and Eve. It came crashing over the swordsmen and spearmen defending the line. Within the eyes of each of the men and women he saw that same flash of El in their pupils.

Looking past the shield wall, the demons, like the snow around Chung, slowly rose off the ground as the El literally knocked them off their feet. To Chung, the bodies of the oncoming beasts appeared to be shrouded in plumes of black flames. Within the flames of each demon, a small El shard could be seen glowing like a white candle within a void. This was their weak point. Chung could see it clear as day and he knew all the soldiers could see it, too.

Time slowly picked up its pace around him and, like a singular entity, the army attacked once more on Elesis's go.

Spears, swords, crossbow bolts, and plasma rounds found their mark as El shards shattered within the haze of black flame. Layers of demon invaders died before they hit the ground, their bodies evaporating in a mist as volley after volley of spear attacks and bolts hit their targets until the entire area within the barrier was filled with the black mist of disintegrating demon matter.

Chung stepped over to Aisha who looked at him as she tried to remain focused. "Ch… Chung? What… is it?" she asked.

Aisha was still struggling to hold the barrier up. She glanced at him curiously as he took the half-empty flask of mana from her and downed it all in one go.

Wiping his lips he felt sick to his stomach as he felt his El reserves quickly restore itself.

"Eve?" Chung turned to the Nasod. Nothing else was said between the two but she already knew what he was waiting for and quickly scanned the area past the demons that continued to charge in through the barrier.

"Five confirmed shadow defenders... at our twelve, ten, eight, six, and four."

"That's one less I have to worry about," the prince said, pulling the reload lever on his cannon.

He raised the weapon over his shoulder, hand over the homing module as he fed El into the mechanism.

"Twelve, ten, eight, six, and four…" Chung repeated, "Find them." He pulled the secondary trigger on his cannon, unleashing a string of homing rockets that scrambled outward into the storm.

He dropped the cannon to catch his breath from the sudden drain of El as he watched the streaks of light seek their targets. The ten o'clock was first to detonate. Then the six. Twelve, eight, and four followed in quick succession.

The strength of the barrier returned as the last of the shadow defenders was obliterated and the ones within the bubble simultaneously breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"I… still don't have much left…" Aisha mumbled, "We have to go… now!"

"You heard the lady!" Elsword barked, "Let's move! Hurry before-"

Everyone fell silent as the sound of distant artillery thundered through the storm. For a moment, nothing but the wailing wind could be heard as everyone held their breath, anticipating what they all knew was coming next.

The area to their immediate southwest lit up in an ear-shattering burst of fire and brimstone as well as a nearby stone tower directly to their north.

"Double time! They're not paying us by the hour! Go, go, go!" Elesis screamed as another shell narrowly missed the barrier just to their south.

The unified army broke out into a panicked sprint towards the east as another volley of artillery fire echoed in the distance.

The demons that waited beyond the barrier came pouring in after the army and the soldiers were forced to cut their way eastward before getting caught in the barrage.

"Wait!" Aisha called, still trying to keep the frozen shards from breaking through.

"Wait for me! I can't… I can't run and channel this-" Her feet left the ground as Elsword picked her up off the ground.

"You can channel the barrier like this, right?" Elsword said, holding her bridal style.

For a moment the barrier faded as she stared up at the knight holding her but the redhead knocked his forehead against hers.

"Now's not the time! Can you do it or not?!"

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Elsword took off after the panicked blob, doing his best to keep pace as they slogged through the snow.

More demons charged after the slow moving mass only to be caught by the blast of incoming artillery.

The earth burst in a pillar of melted rock near the two as Elsword shielded Aisha from the force of the explosion only to be knocked the other way as another shell landed just within the barrier south of the group. The blast itself was enough to push half the army off their feet.

Another shell landed right behind the knight, causing Elsword to fall over as heat and rock battered his back.

Aisha was flung from his arms and she rolled on the snow. Walkers and striders were on their tail. Being the furthest out, the Lord Knight was an easy target for the beasts.

"Keep the barrier up!" Elsword said through pained groans.

"Els!" Chung called, drawing attention from the main group back towards the fallen knight.

Despite this Aisha kept her eyes shut as she continued to focus.

"Elsword, lookout!" the prince called again, running past the mage as yet another volley thundered in the distance.

The prince drew his revolvers, unleashing a torrent of rounds that cut through the demon's weak points moments before they tore the knight to shreds. The guardian hurried to his best friend's side, pulling him up from the snow as the barrage destroyed the earth around them.

The prince's blood ran cold at the sight. The Lord Knight's legs were shattered. The blast burned him up to his lower back and it looked like his arm was broken.

"I can't move, man," Elsword muttered weakly.

"I know, Els… I know. I got you," Chung cried, pulling him up over his shoulder as the shells continued to fall around them. With cannon in one shoulder and Elsword over his other, he waded as fast as he could through the snow with the extra weight.

"Aisha can't move… either…" the knight continued.

"... I know," Chung replied, approaching Aisha whose eyes were shut as she was still locked in her chanting. He already knew where this was going.

"Leave me…" Elsword whispered.

"Els… you know I can't-"

"Leave me!" he shouted with all his might. "If she dies… everyone dies. You know it… and so does she…"

Tears rolled down Aisha's cheeks as she continued to chant. Her lips quivered and she shook her head, not missing a beat on her spell but her words echoed how she wished for Chung to take the boy instead.

"Els… I can't, man…"

"Do it for me... Please… As my dying request…"

Chung turned to his best friend hanging off his shoulder. What was left of the life in his red eyes begged him to take Aisha instead.

The barrier faded as Aisha screamed for Chung to put her down.

"Keep… the barrier up, Aisha," Elsword coughed, looking up at the two and giving them that stupid, award-winning grin.

Another volley from the Black Crow was fired.

Chung couldn't believe this. As much as he had wanted to prevent this, here he was forced to choose between Elsword and Aisha. As much as he knew he had to take one or the other he couldn't decide. Not like this. Not ever, like this.

His grip on the mage loosened and he knelt down to the broken body of his best friend.

"What… are you… doing?"

"I… I can't do it, Els…" he said, gripping the young man tightly in his arms.

"But… the barrage…"

Chung shook his head, holding him tightly as the whistle of incoming shells could be heard over the wind.

The ground burst around them and he only tightened his grip around Elsword, shielding him from the spray of molten earth. This was it. He was going to die.

A blast of heat could be felt directly above him but his racing heart was enough to tell him he was still alive. Chung looked up to see an artillery shell burst in a fantastic display of orange and yellow over a protective grid. What was going on? Aisha's barrier wasn't strong enough to stop an artillery round.

Another explosion tore the ground nearby and the rocks battered against the strange blue grid around them. Looking around, the prince spotted the culprit as Eve stood behind them all, arms wide as her El poured into a dimensional rift on one end as pure data flowed out from the other.

Another shell struck the grid and it flashed a bluish white as it absorbed yet another explosion.

"Eve?" Chung stood as the rift closed above her. "I didn't know you had a shield."

"Unlike the mage, my protective barrier doesn't require me to channel it." Another shell struck her barrier, causing the grid to collapse on itself as the explosion dissipated into a fine smoke. "But it can only absorb so much."

The prince watched as strange red energy from the blue jewel on her head was drawn into the palm of her hand. She manipulated and molded it until the color shifted from a deep red to the familiar blue El.

Before Chung could ask, Eve spread her arms wide once more as Moby and Remy opened another portal. Data flowed through once more, feeding off of the ball of energy she created. Another shield was generated, protecting the four of them as the shells continued to fall.

"Mage," the queen said flatly, not the slightest hint of panic in her voice as shells continued to fall around them. Turning to the purple-haired girl, she drew yet another ball of red energy from the jewel, "I believe you have a barrier to maintain. Chung. Call the others over to seek shelter within my shield."

"Oh- right!" He left the Nasod to do her work. As he hurried to grab the attention of the rest of the soldiers standing outside of the protective barrier, he glanced back to see Eve moving to Elsword's body broken body. She dropped her head as she stood over him, hands clenched in a tight fist as she seemed to be bottling up a fair bit of rage within her.

"That's why she came to help…" Chung mumbled to himself as he waved the others to hurry back towards them.

A projected window appeared in front of Eve, displaying nothing but static as the broken audio of the technophile onboard the Black Crow could just barely be heard.

"Y… m… ueen?" Add's voice cut in and out as he spoke.

"Narrow triangulation coordinates by point two-five degrees. You are hitting friendlies."

"...ay...aga…?"

"Narrow. Triangulation. Point two-five degrees."

"Na...ing poi… two-fi… ees. Cor…?"

"Yes. Narrow. Triangulation. Point two-five degrees. Correct."

"...rrowing… two-f...degrees. Rog…"

Eve cut the feed before he had a chance to speak further. Her eyes immediately returned to the Lord Knight lying face up at her feet. She said nothing afterwards and merely watched over him. Chung watched as Eve's lips quivered as she very clearly wanted to say something.

The roar of the cannons could be heard once more and the allies of Velder found themselves once again within the safety of the magical barrier. Though the shells landed at a relatively close distance away from the group, it was still much better than being directly under fire.

"I got you," Elesis reassured, pushing her way past Eve and kneeling down next to her little brother. By then, the Lord Knight had fallen unconscious. She uncorked an elixir of health with her teeth before gently pouring the liquid down Elsword's throat. He coughed up the liquid and his big sister cooed brushing her hand through his hair.

"It'll help stop the bleeding and stabilize you. You're not dead yet, little bro…"

"The storm's dying down…" Aisha said in between her chants. "How is he…?"

"He'll make it…" Elesis whispered. "He'll make it."

Through the fire and flame of the bombardment that continued nearby, a change in the air could be felt by everyone within the protective barrier. Slowly, but surely, a noticeable shift in the wind caused the relentless storm to falter. The barrier remained but the shadowy silhouette of the destroyed temple gradually came into view. By the time they were sure the hail had ceased, a strong gust carrying flakes of snow remained. Aisha brought the barrier down with a relieved sigh before rushing to Elsword's side, lifting his head off Elesis's lap to cradle him gently in her arms.

"Did we do it, then?" Chung whispered, staring off at the leveled ruins, "Is it over?"

"No…" Aisha muttered, "The source powering the storm has vanished… but I can still sense El gathering within the rubble."

The guardian drew his revolvers. "Then let's finish the job."

Elesis nodded, calling over a medic to help tend to Elsword's wounds before standing, letting the flames of her El melt away the ice on her coat. She stepped forward towards the ruins and pointed her black and red blade towards the temple.

"Those of you still able to fight follow me… And I want a small group to keep watch over our injured."

The men and women obeyed her command, organizing into their broken battalions as she scanned the survivors. She raised her blade at a particular soldier, stopping him from following the others joining the assault.

"Roger, was it? Stay here and keep watch," she said to the tall one.

Roger's eyes narrowed at the command and he glanced over at the prince who returned his gaze with much softer, apologetic eyes.

"Fine by me. Don't want to get my hands dirtier than I need to," the man grunted with a shrug before walking back to Elsword's body.

Satisfied with the number count reaching just above one hundred, the Blazing heart signaled the rest to march as she lead the way through the battered pathway towards Temple of Frozen Water.

"Thanks for that," Chung whispered as he caught up with Elesis. He glanced back at the old soldier and saw him squat down to Elsword's side.

"No. I should be thanking  _you_." Elesis whispered back, eyes trained towards a destroyed double door entrance that led into the structure.

She said nothing else but, despite what the Blazing heart had said before-about how she would gladly sacrifice one over many-Chung knew she was thankful on how he chose to stay by her brother's side.

"Eve? Are you coming?" Chung called, walking backwards as he waved at the Nasod who still stood at Elsword's side. She looked up at him with her golden eyes and quietly shook her head. To his surprise, though, he saw Aisha brushing the snow off her legs and moving catch up with the rest of them.

"Chung!" she slowed to his pace as she walked beside him.

"After what you had to go through I thought you'd need a break with the rest."

The mage shrugged. "I figured you would need me to pinpoint the source if its hidden under the rubble."

"How are you on elixirs?"

"I'm out... but I'm close to the daily limit anyways… Any more and I'd kill myself…"

"I didn't know there was an actual limit," the prince said, readjusting the cannon on his shoulder as they neared the ruined walls.

"Sure there is. We went over this in our chemistry lesson a few times, remember? The human body can take only so many toxins and the safe limit is two mana elixirs a day."

"How many have you had?"

"Two and a half…"

"Aisha!"

"The  _safe_  limit, Chung! A lethal dose is more around four. Three elixirs would put you at risk of liver and other major organ failure. I'm at two and a half. Would've been three if you hadn't swiped the last half from me."

"It tasted disgusting, by the way," the guardian gagged as he remembered the feeling of it ooze down his throat. It was like vomit and alcohol mixed with blueberries.

"It's an acquired taste."

"You two, shut it. We're here," Elesis growled at the two as she stopped at the large wooden double door standing between them and the inner sanctum of the temple.

"Here, I got it," Chung unslung his cannon only to see Elesis place a hand on the door. With nothing more than a subtle puff of smoke from the palm of her hand, the door cascaded into a pile of ash. She only gave him a sideways glance before entering with the Velder Army close behind.

Chung and Aisha brought up the tail end of the mass of people as they passed the narrow doorway and filed into the leveled ruins of what used to be a spectacular cathedral. Smoldered rubble and debris piled as high as the average man while the winds around them kicked up a mixture of ash, dust, and snow.

Despite the destruction before them, the large marble altar at the far end of the temple stood undamaged and was flanked by pristine golden candelabras. Cradled above the marble surface by a luxurious velvet pillow was a large, polished shard taken straight from the El Stone of Water.

Dark energy swirled around it as it seemed to be projecting its own protective barrier.

"That's it," Aisha said, pointing at the El shard, "The surge is coming from that shard over there. And it's still growing."

"So we destroy it, then?" Elesis asked, readying her blade.

"That… seems to be the only viable option. The stone seems corrupted so I can't do anyth-"

"Seems easy enough," the Blazing Heart grinned as she took off down the main aisle with sword ablaze.

"A little too easy," Chung muttered.

"You're worried, too, huh?" Aisha looked at him and took off after the red-head.

"Wait for us!" the prince called after Elesis who quickly scaled the marble steps and, with a mighty leap, brought the edge of her burning blade down on the corrupted stone.

There was a flash of light as the raw energy seething from the stone repelled her blade and held her aloft well before her sword touched the stone.

Elesis grunted as the shock wave of the clashing forces ripped through the air. She was flung backwards and Chung stopped, moving back to catch her as she collided with him.

"What the El just happened?" the redhead groaned as she quickly pushed herself off of the prince.

As Chung slowly climbed to his feet, he felt an icy chill fill the air around them as a low, sinister laugh echoed through the ruins.

All eyes were on the altar as the stone rose off its surface and pulsed with a wave of dark energy.

"Pitiful mortals," a voice echoed in the heads of the men and women who stood within the ruins. It was ancient and filled with a seething malice that made every hair on Chung's body stand on end. "You know not the powers you face."

"Demon!" Elesis cried out, reigniting her blade, "We've stopped whatever it is you're plotting and all that's left is to get rid of you. Surrender now and we'll make your death swift!"

"Stopped?" the voice boiled into a deep laughter, "I'm afraid you're too late… You. Stopped. Nothing."

Chung watched as thunder rumbled loudly overhead. Flashes of light crackled around them and for a moment a gigantic skeletal figure could be seen standing before them with the shard at its heart.

A bolt of lightning came crashing down onto the El shard and in a flash the vision before the prince manifested itself into physical form. Cloaked in a ruined white veil and crowned with a cardinal's cap, a giant sickly blue skeleton stood before them. The sound of gasping breath of thousands of lives could be heard echoing in Chung's head. This sounded familiar. Like he knew what the voices were suffering through.

The skeleton gasped as life energy was pumped into him from the pulsing of the El lodged in his chest. It turned its head to those who stood before him, empty sockets being the windowed void to a realm of suffocation and suffering.

It spoke once more in their heads yet its bony jaw did not move.

"Your death is coming."

Red light filled the skies as a meteor broke the heavens. Aisha stood with her staff raised as the giant space rock came hurtling towards the altar where the demon stood.

With a mere gesture of its skeletal hands, a cascade of water rained from its palm, immediately freezing and forming a massive frozen staff which the demon gripped the large weapon, sweeping it upward at the blazing ball.

As the meteor drew closer, the molten rock quickly solidified into ice. Gripping his hand into a fist, the massive ball of ice cracked and was crushed into thousands of shards as if it were a snowball within an invisible palm.

The rain of shards pinged off the protective barrier around the El stone embedded within the demon's chest as it returned its empty gaze to the rest.

"Fire!" a soldier barked as bolts were loosed towards the demon who spread its arms wide, welcoming their pitiful attempts to bring him down. Like everything else, anything that touched the gem's powerful barrier merely ricocheted off.

The low growl of a laugh echoed once more in their heads.

"You. Are. Doomed."

It raised its staff, drawing El from the stone. Everyone stepped back, bracing themselves before he brought the short end down with a heavy clang.

The sound of a thousand mirrors shattering directly behind the three caused them to spin around. To their horror, the one hundred soldiers that had stood behind them hung impaled by thousands of icy needles jutting from the ground, creating a thick ice wall that blocked their only means of escape.

Without hesitating the three turned their attention back to the demon that stood before them. Elesis raised her blade defensively as Chung put himself and his cannon between Aisha and the demon.

"Any chance you can send more of your space rocks down on this guy?" the Blazing Heart asked.

"I'm really low on El and I don't have any mana elixirs left," the mage said, "If you give me time to meditate I can try for another."

"How long's that going to take?" the redhead never let the demon out of her sight as she warily noted every move it made.

"A good minute if we're lucky."

"Fucking useless," Elesis snorted, causing Aisha to wince from the comment.

"She's just frustrated… We'll buy you time," the prince said, looking over his shoulder at the mage, "But hurry. We don't know what we're dealing with."

Aisha quietly nodded, taking a step back as she held the staff in front of her. A small gust of wind kicked up around her feet as she began gathering the surrounding El.

"You're being too hard on her," Chung whispered as he met up with Elesis.

"With the amount of times she's allowed the barrier to fall, I've had it up to here with her."

"Well you don't understand magic like she does. She was doing her best."

"So. Any ideas, kid?" Elsword's big sister asked, changing the subject as they stood side by side before the demon.

"I was thinking fire missiles and shoot guns. How about you?"

"I was hoping for something more on the lines of swing swords and burn stuff."

"We'll just wing it."

"Now you're talkin' my language," she smiled.

With a powerful cry Elesis led the charge as Chung took a siege stance. Rockets flew over the girl's head, colliding and detonating with the demon.

It raised its arm defensively as each rocket hit their mark. The bones of the beast crumbled under the explosive force until nothing but the ribcage remained, giving Elesis a clear strike as she leapt into the air.

"Sword fire!" she called, winding her blade back as concentrated flames whipped around her black blade. With a mighty downward slash, a magical orb of fire came crashing down on the large shard.

As it connected with the barrier, the air around the Blazing Heart burst in a flash of heat as fire enveloped the altar. The redhead landed, sword ablaze like the flames that danced around her.

"Pitiful…" the voice echoed as the flames above her cleared, revealing an unscathed shard. The previously destroyed skeletal arms had already reconstructed themselves and Elesis had to roll out of the way as a spinning pinwheel of ice from the tip of the demon's staff came crashing down on the marble where she once stood.

The staff was raised again and brought down on Elesis as she tried to shield herself but Chung intervened, striking the staff with the barrel of his cannon and sending the pinwheel of ice flying.

"Your efforts are fruitless." the demon said in their heads as the staff regenerated itself in its hands.

"Cover your ears!" Chung shouted, slinging the cannon over his shoulder and pulling the trigger.

The destroyer boomed with a bright blue flash as a metal slug shot out of the barrel, connecting with the powerful barrier. Flashes of white light sparked between the two forces as the spinning metal slab drilled deeper and deeper into the forcefield.

The demon howled as the slug drew ever closer to the shard but, before it drew within inches of striking, a low laugh filled their heads once more. Slowly the metal slug grew white as it was encased in ice just from being near the shard. The round slowly came to a stop before falling to the earth and shattering as if it were glass.

Chung dropped his overheated destroyer, as it burned in his hands and he stepped back, drawing his revolvers.

Elesis shoved the prince out of the way as she flicked her blade upward, sending a scalding wave of fire that only evaporated in a warm mist as it connected with the shard's protective field.

"The power of ice is mine! None can defeat me," the demon cackled as it raised its staff over the two.

"That's  _my_  line!" a voice called garnering everyone's attention towards the wall of ice.

Like a gate, several spires of ice melted away clearing a path as a single blue-haired armor-clad woman stepped into the ruins with an empty mana flask in her hand. Eve was with her following close behind.

"Noah!" Chung called. "What are you-"

"I called for help," Eve said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Demon Lieutenant Avalanche! I thought you might've been the one behind all this! How lucky am I to finally have the chance to put you down."

"Ice Princess Noah… your name has been whispered among our ranks… it appears the esteemed Royal Guard will finally meet its end today," the demon named Avalanche whispered, causing the human to grimace at the remark.

"Not before I end you."

The tall spires of ice shuddered as Noah raised her mace. With a simple wave, the spires bent to her will with an audible crack as the large pointed segments levitated in the air around her. Noah pointed her mace at the demon and the large icicles were flung at it. Each spike tore through the skeleton's bones like paper and the spikes that struck the forcefield shattered in a spray of cold mist.

In an angry growl that echoed in their heads the demon's bones quickly pieced itself together once more while simultaneously ripping more shards of ice from the earth and flinging it back at her.

"Get out of there before you get hurt!" Noah said, stepping closer as she twirled her mace around again as another series of cracks resounded behind her. With a swinging motion, hundreds more spikes were flung at the demon as magical ice collided with magical ice. She swung at a particularly lethal shard trained at her throat, shattering it as she advanced and returned fire ten fold. Bodies of deceased soldiers still impaled in the spikes were flung along like ragdolls skewered by each icicle and every spike that made it through the crossfire smashed into the forcefield and pierced through bone, forcing the monster to reconstruct itself again and again over Chung and Elesis.

The prince grabbed his cannon, ducking a spike as it flew over his shoulder. The two of them dove and weaved through each spike. Icicles collided overhead as a freezing spray matted both of them in a layer of frost. Making it through the crossfire was one thing, but figuring how to deal with Demon Lieutenant Avalanche was another as even the Ice Princess's relentless waves of ice did little to nothing except slow the beast down.

Eve joined the fray, flying off to the side as she flung orbs of concentrated energy at the monster. Gaining the demon's attention, the skeleton wailed loudly at her as it raised its staff to strike her. Chung stopped this, placing a couple well aimed shots on the staff itself, causing the crown of the staff to snap off once more and it angrily slammed the end of his staff on the ground as a cracked trail of ice rapidly approached the prince. Chung leapt backwards at the last moment as yet another giant pillar of ice jutted from the ground.

The demon dropped its arms as it floated before them, allowing every shot, shard, and rocket to tear at its frame.

"Why do you struggle? Why do you forsake your inevitable death?" the voice in all their heads whispered.

They were getting nowhere. With each barrage of bullets and rockets he fired he felt more and more of his El drain from his body. This demon showed no sign of fatigue as its broken pieces easily rebuilt and regenerated itself every time they fell apart. Every time he rebuilt himself, Avalanche would piece together more and more of his spell and it wasn't until it was hailing again did the others realize that something had to be done.

"On me!" Noah called, slamming the hilt of her mace on the ground as a protective barrier quickly formed around them, shielding them the deadly hail.

"Do any of you have anything big to throw at Avalanche?" The Ice Princess asked through heavy gasps.

"We tried a meteor, but he just crushed it like a snowball," Elesis reported.

"The railgun can't even punch through the barrier," Chung added.

"Given the information and the bombardment the Demon Lieutenant withstood, it is highly unlikely that the weaponry at my disposal can do much against him either," Eve said.

"We can't just retreat, either. If we allow the surge to continue that could spell the end for all of us…" Noah sighed and rubbed her chin in thought "So… nothing at all? We're at our limit?"

"There is one way," a projected window flickered open as Add appeared through a broken video feed. Static fizzled across the screen as the connection between Add and Eve was still fairly weak through the thick clouds.

"How did you access my projection modules?" Eve asked flatly as she very clearly didn't call the self-proclaimed genius. She opened several windows and began severing the communication gateway.

"Ah… is that really what you want to do, my queen? Wouldn't you want to hear my solution, first?"

"I'd rather you end this call immediately and appear only on  _my_  terms," the Nasod said, fingers quickly dancing over the keyboard as she entered different port coding.

A wall of ice erupted from the ground before them as a giant ice needle came crashing through the barrier and smashing into the wall.

"How about you listen to what he says first?" Noah said, popping the cork on a mana elixir and, after a moment of hesitation, downed it in one go. She tossed the glass aside wiping her lips as she wobbled where she stood. "Now. Please. Speak. And hurry."

"That is a dangerous proposition. Even now he is probably trying to gain access of my main system files."

"Ignoring it is a dangerous proposition. Let him say what he will. We're out of options as far as I can see!" Noah spoke in an out of character tone of panic.

Eve and Chung looked at each other and at the corner of his eye, the prince could see the sinister grin on Add's face as he bemusedly manipulated a few windows off screen.

"Speak, human," Eve said, not taking her finger off the button that cut all forms of external communications.

"I've upgraded the ship, remember? Fitting it with close range and long range capabilities is childsplay for a genius such as myself and with such… immense power at my fingertips I decided to install something a bit more… flashy for situations like this."

"Get to the point, mercenary," Noah said, leaning against the broken wall of ice she had just conjured.

"Noah…?" Aisha hurried to the ice mage's side as she caught her just as she was about to collapse.

"I've installed an energy cannon. One capable of converting raw fusion energy into a high-powered laser… though i suppose 'high-powered' would be a phenomenal understatement for its real potential. I call it… the Earth Breaker cannon."

"Sounds good. Let's do it," Noah wheezed, placing a hand on Aisha's shoulder as she tried to get back to her feet.

"I'll need a clear shot," Add said, filing his nails on the other side of the feed.

"We'll make a clear shot…" the blue-haired mage mumbled weakly.

"It's probably best that the target is held completely still to ensure complete and thorough eradication."

Noah wasn't speaking anymore and the other mage was having difficulty holding her up.

"Can you do that for me?" the genius asked, waiting for a reply, "Hello?"

"What's wrong with her?" Chung asked, rushing to Noah's side.

"I… I think it's mana poisoning... Noah?"

The Ice Princess muttered something to the mage's ear.

"What… Seven?! That's way more than a lethal overdose!"

"Noah… why the hell are you doing this?" the prince asked.

She shot him an icy glare with her fading blue eyes as her lips quivered weakly.

"Avalanche… has to go. After what he did to all of us… I'll gladly trade my life for his destruction... Do  _not_  take this opportunity away from me."

She turned to Aisha once more, putting all her remaining strength into lifting her arm up to grab the mage by her collar and pulled her close. The last of the Royal guard whispered again in her ear and Chung watched as her purple eyes widened as she listened.

"Hello? Eve, my queen, is the one named Noah still there? Hello?"

"We'll do it!" Aisha cried, looking up at the projected screen as she propped Noah up on the broken ice wall. Again the Ice Princess whispered to the mage and she nodded, pulling the heavy mace and placing it on the owner's lap.

The Royal Guard clutched at the staff and she leaned her head back as she fought to stay conscious. Energy pooled at the tip of the jeweled staff as she mumbled the words to a spell.

"Very well, the cannon needs a few moments to charge. I'll be rotating the ship and getting the cannon oriented. I'll let you know when it's ready to fire. Oh… and my queen?"

"Yes?" the Nasod said, even Chung could see the apprehension splayed across her face.

"Thank you." The feed was cut but not before the man gave her a knowing grin.

"We have to buy time until the cannon's charged," Aisha said, standing and dusting the rubble off her coat. She picked up her staff as she looked about through the frozen ice dome around her. Even at this state, the Ice Mage could focus on channeling the barrier and charging her spell. Aisha had never been able to do something like that.

"Is she going to be okay?" Chung asked though the look on everyone's eyes was obvious enough. He stood over Noah. The Ice Mage had her eyes shut as she chanted. He could see in the way that her head bobbed subtly from side to side that it was taking everything she had not to lose consciousness. Her breathing was shallow and the grip on her mace had all but loosened now.

Suddenly, a ice-crowned staff plunged through the dome tearing a hole through the barrier as Avalanche slammed the weapon against the broken wall, the pinwheel of ice from his staff cut through the conjured ice like butter. The rest of the group scattered as a spray of frost shot shards in all directions.

Elesis was the first to respond, flinging fireball after fireball that set the demon's tattered robes aflame.

He swung his staff at her, his foot smashing through the conjured ice just inches from the Ice Princess who sat with her back against what was left of the wall.

"Noah!" Chung screamed.

Looking at his feet, the Demon Lieutenant cackled, scooping the weak mage up with a bony hand. The barrier around them failed and the rain of knives battered at the others who could do nothing but take shelter among the few spires still standing. Chung attempted to shoot off the demon's limbs but the rain of needles made it impossible to get a clear shot without risking a needle through his head.

"Noah! Hang on!"

"Mana poisoning… What a painfully slow way to die…" he rose to a standing position, raising the mage's body high in the air. Despite all this, the mace remained gripped in her hand. "Tell me, Noah… What does it feel like to have your insides fail piece by piece?"

Avalanche tilted his head curiously at the body as it looked as if the last of the Royal Guard had finally passed. The grip on the glowing mace loosened and it came tumbling down to the stony surface below.

Aisha quickly raised her staff casting a magical barrier not around her allies but around Avalanche just as the jewel on Noah's mace shattered against the stone floor.

White. Nothing but a burst of white could be seen within the globe-shaped barrier and it looked something akin to a giant snowball.

Aisha appeared to be struggling to keep the spell held in one concentrated point. The strain became too much for her, though, and she eventually released the barrier.

A powerful rush of frigid air filled the atmosphere around them. Chung felt the tip of his nose and ears go numb as a massive outpouring of snow and ice flooded the ruins and spilled over the ruin walls.

Still hiding behind the safety of the pillars, Chung could barely see the tops of the other's heads from behind their own cover.

"Everyone alright?" he shouted over the piles of snow. The prince tried to dig his way out but gasped at the scene before him:

There Avalanche stood, dark energies still swirling around the El embedded in his chest but helplessly trapped within ice. In his raised hand, Noah laid, her body completely frozen. Even though he was unable to move, the demon cackled.

"What is this? You only delay the inevitable."

A video feed flickered open. "On your signal, my queen."

"Now," Eve said to Aisha who kicked up the snow around her as she unleashed an elemental gust of wind upward. The gust was so strong that it tore a giant hole in the clouds. Waiting just beyond the mist was the Black Crow with a glowing yellow ring visible off the bow of the ship.

"Is that the target?" Add scoffed, "This will be easy."

"Affirmative," Eve said, immediately cutting the feed before he could say anything else.

The cannon in the distance glowed a brilliant yellow-orange as the ship realigned itself towards the demon.

"But what about Noah?" Chung yelled, moving to free her. Elesis grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him back with a solemn shake of her head. As much as the prince wanted to deny it he already knew that she was gone.

As the beam cut through the air, Chung wondered if this was what Noah had wanted. She did, after all, drink the lethal dose of Elixir well before she even arrived. The beam crashed into the earth, melting the ice surrounding the temple and blasting the others with an intense heat. As the last of the Royal Guard turned to dust before his very eyes, he wondered if this was his way of coping with loss now. He reasoned that it wasn't his fault this time. But was it right that he was feeling this way?

Would it be right for him to reason that Mud's death wasn't his fault, either? That his life was the unforeseen cost of breaking Ara free? Would it be right for him to believe that Lyra's death was unavoidable because he would've died too if he didn't let her go? Was it right for him to justify their fates?

Maybe. He didn't know. What he did know, though, was that this was her choice. Her death and Avalanche's destruction was the best outcome for all of them. She probably knew this well before they began the mission. He wouldn't have done it any other way given the cards they were dealt.

This was for the best, he reasoned, this was what she wanted: to fight for the good of everyone; for the good of the realm. Noah willingly sacrificed herself not because she wanted to be with her brothers and sisters in the afterlife, but because she wanted to protect others.

"Farewell, Noah," he whispered as the El shard within its forcefield cracked under the immense heat. "I won't let your sacrifice be wasted. I promise."


	22. You Don't Have to Ask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah was gone. Elsword had been gravely injured. Hundreds of men and women have lost their lives to Demon Lieutenant Avalanche's magic, but they had made it. Exhausted but relieved to have the worst behind them, Chung can finally relax knowing his disregard of official orders turned out as good as it has, despite the cost. With much needed reinforcements on their way, things are beginning to look up for the prince.

"Well, aren't you proud of yourself?" The High Commander's voice echoed as he stood at the top of the stair of the castle's entrance. At his back were five of the last surviving Red Knights. The prince stopped at the foot of the stairway and stood undaunted by the man's presence as Aisha, Elesis, Rena, and Eve stood behind him.

"Here I was, minding my own business when a thought occurred to me," the commander began pacing back and forth, "How is our good prince doing? Surely he must feel terrible being locked up while his friends were sent out to fight. I thought that while he was awaiting their safe return, I'd go up there and have a good old heart-to-heart with him. Imagine my surprise when I climbed all the way up to your room, only to find you were nowhere in sight! 'Well this can't be right,' I thought until I heard the news from downstairs that… strange objects were raining down from the sky. Mainly  _this_."

Penensio stepped aside as one of the Red Knights tossed a broken contraption down the stairs. It was Add's Phase shifting pylon-or what was left of it, at least. The metal casing had burst open and the complexed wiring were strewn about.

"So I did a little detective work and word from my knights is that our resident robot has been visiting you a lot more often than the rest." The High Commander pointed an accusatory finger at Eve and she took a step back, eyes narrowing as Chung set himself between her and the commanding officer.

"It's an obvious connection. Tech like this is beyond human grasp unless there was a Nasod like her to assist in its construction. Lock her up. Make sure she's kept in a secure cell-"

"Wait!" Chung interjected, "Before you lock her up, I'll have you know that had she not helped me escape your men would not have survived the mission. If I hadn't arrived when I did, the active El Search Party, as well as every single soldier under their command, would have been killed."

"I find that hard to believe," Penensio said, staring down defiantly at Chung.

"I can attest to his claim," Elesis argued, "If he wasn't there to save my brother, I would have surely lost him. And Chung's timely arrival gave us the tools we needed to fight off the demons that had us fully surrounded."

As if word from the esteemed Blazing Heart wasn't enough, a giant screen projected itself over Eve's head as the drones played back the events that unfolded during the mission. Everything from the initial arrival to the fight against Avalanche was played. At the video's end, even Penensio couldn't say anything in return.

"He was a necessary asset to our survival," Elesis continued, "Eve may be guilty of setting him free, but we wouldn't be standing here before you if she hadn't done so… And it is my personal recommendation that you rescind his detainment for his selfless effort to ensure our safety and excuse Eve of her crime."

Penensio didn't like the suggestion. It was obvious in the way he regarded each of them. But the whispers of the other men and women acknowledging Chung's assistance caused the commanding officer's stoic face to waver.

"They're right. Gods in heaven, we would've been crushed without that strange power he gave us," one soldier acknowledged.

"And did you see how he ran back to save our Lord Knight? Hells, I wouldn't be able to do that…"

After what seemed like an eternity of consideration, he gave a long sigh.

"Very well. Prince Seiker. Based on your actions today, I hereby release you of your detainment—"

"And Useli, too," Chung interrupted once more.

"The agreement was to excuse you and your friend's crimes. Not the half-elf's."

"Then release her instead of me."

"Chung…" Aisha nudged him gently, obviously against the suggestion.

"Why are you even suggesting this, Seiker?" Penensio asked.

"Because your Lord Knight is gravely wounded. Many more of your men are, too. She'd be more use to everyone here than I am right now."

"You do realize she has sworn never to work for us, again, right? I doubt she'd be easily convinced in healing them."

"She's a gentle and kind person," Chung argued, "She may have said that but I don't believe she meant it. Release her. Tell her it was on  _my_ request. She should understand from there."

The High Commander rubbed his chin in thought before giving a dismissive shrug and waved for the other men to arrest Chung once more. "Don't expect to have anymore visitors, Seiker. From now on, you'll be released only on my terms."

"Understood, High Commander," the prince nodded.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Eve questioned as two Red Knights grabbed his arms and began escorting him back to his tower.

Chung looked back at the Nasod and gave her a sad smile, "You want to see Elsword get better, don't you? This is for the best, Eve."

Eve looked ready to protest, but she stopped herself, instead opting to say nothing as she dropped her gaze from his.

"See you when I see you," Chung said before he was dragged off to his tower.

* * *

Night came without incident, and the prince stood at his balcony, watching the soldiers go about their usual duties. They've expanded the triage tent to the bunking area to accommodate all the injured men and women. As he requested, Useli was spotted being released from her prison. It was difficult to see from high up in his perch, but she definitely had a significantly thinner frame as she stumbled out of the servant quarters. After feeding her some food, she fulfilled her job as a medic and tended to the wounded once more. Only once did she look up at his balcony, and she gave the prince a knowing nod before Aisha escorted her to the more critically wounded soldiers first.

About four hundred men had survived the mission today; four hundred of the original eight hundred soldiers who marched this morning. At least tomorrow, they'd be sent home. That meant fresh recruits to take care of.

"Just try not to get too close to anyone," he reminded himself, "It makes everything hurt less."

He wondered where he heard such a morbid and yet melancholic quote before. A memory flashed in his head as he and Noah stood at the wooden walls, overlooking the sunken Resiam. Despite the strong demeanor she exuded beforehand, Noah looked broken as they stood at the Resiam walls.

"Try not to get too close to anyone..." He repeated. Lyra's voice echoed in his mind begging him to just let her go. Again Noah's words repeated themselves in his head.

"And now you understand  _me_. You know  _my_  friends? They're the ones stuck on the other side of that bridge. My Royal Guard. My brothers and sisters." Sounds of Noah crying over Julius's broken body filled the background.

"Penensio and Lowe? They have friends here on this side of the bridge. They have their priorities, too. Mine just don't weigh as much as theirs. And as much as it hurts me to admit it, they're right. My friends… aren't as important."

The guardian shut his eyes, taking a deep breath as he felt a tear roll down his cheek. If only dealing with loss was  _that_ easy.

The heavy clang of a lock could be heard behind the prince, and he spun around to find Eve standing at the doorway.

"E… Eve?" Chung quickly wiped his eyes, "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here, you know."

"I had Elesis speak to Penensio on my behalf," she said as she strode over to the balcony with the prince and leaned against the railing. "I told her to tell him that I promise I wouldn't break you free without his permission, again."

"She spoke to him…? Hold on, the High Commander isn't exactly the type that would openly negotiate on things against his terms. Nor does he seem like the type that would agree to simple promises."

Eve opened an audio recording and pressed the play button. The muffled voices of Penensio and Elesis could just barely be heard.

"Chung's a good kid. You know that. He's just been acting on what he thinks is right," Elesis said through the recording.

"Acting on his morals doesn't mean he's acting on my command. I can't have soldiers go rogue on me… especially when everything we do relies on the strength of everyone just to survive."

"He  _saved_  your men. If he wasn't there, you wouldn't have an army to fight for you, anymore. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"He jeopardized our intel by releasing a potential demon spy."

"She was  _not_  a spy—just a girl looking for her brother! You're blowing this whole Ara incident way out of proportion."

"You don't understand, Elesis: in war, intel is  _everything_. We just handed her to the demons and-"

"You don't know that. For all we know, she's probably on her way back to Fahrmann or wherever she came from. You keep thinking of the worse case scenario-"

"Because I  _prepare_  for the worst case scenario. I'd rather anticipate it than have it hit us when we least expect it."

"Look, all I'm asking is for you to let Chung have visitors. As I said, he's a good kid. He wouldn't ever do anything that he knows would hurt us."

There was a long pause followed by a heavy slam on a desk.

"Do it or I'm withdrawing the El Search Party!" the Blazing Heart shouted loudly.

"You wouldn't dare…"

"With the Lord Knight and Blade Master out of commission I'm next in command. I have the authority to pull us out of here if I deem it necessary."

"Do you realize what you're doing?"

"Do  _you_  realize what  _you're_  doing?" Elesis shouted back, "You're going to risk your operations here just because you won't allow a young man a few visitors."

There was another long pause. Finally, Penensio gave a heavy sigh.

"Fine. He can have visitors. Are you happy?"

"Ecstatic. Eve? You get all that? High Commander says you can go-"

The audio file was cut and projected window was minimized, as Chung processed all of this. He stared into the Nasod's golden eyes. Only a question surfaced in his head.

"Why would you go to such lengths just to visit me?"

"You're my friend," Eve tilted her head as if the answer should've been obvious enough.

The prince leaned back against the railing as a small smile crossed his lips.

"That's awfully sweet of you."

"Among other reasons," she added.

"Other reasons?" It took him a moment until it dawned on him, "You mean  _him_?"

Chung motioned towards the courtyard far below. Amidst the bustling red uniforms was a man clad in white sitting at the food tent, staring up at the two with a knowing grin. Eve nodded.

"He hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

"Not that I'm aware of. However, his ability to access my communication network was disconcerting to say the least."

"Can he still do that?"

Eve shook her head, "No. Or, rather, he shouldn't be able to. I'm… not sure anymore. I've taken the precautionary steps and reformatted the coding around the program, and I've run multiple scans over my personal coding to find anything out of place but... nothing."

She hugged herself tightly and for a moment, in those emotionless eyes, he detected a faint hint of something he had never seen in the Nasod's eyes before: fear.

"Anything I can do to help? Anything at all? What about that code I wrote? The uh… the hello world one? Can you use that?"

"Chung… that code won't do anything other than display text. It won't help in any way at all."

"So… it's absolutely useless?"

Eve seemed hesitant to answer but it was obvious enough.

"What can I do to help?" he asked, again. Pressing onward.

"Just… let me be here. I feel safer here knowing he isn't physically close enough to hack into my systems."

Chung glanced back down at the courtyard. Add was gone. Where he had disappeared to, he didn't know, but what he did know was that Eve didn't want him near her. It's the least he could do for her.

"Alright. Feel free to come by at any time. To be honest, it was actually getting a bit lonely, thinking that I wouldn't have any visitors. So, this benefits both of us."

The fear had all but disappeared in the queen's eyes, and she nodded in agreement. "I'll wait around until I'm sure that human has returned to the airship before I leave."

"Take your time. Just know that I have only one bed if you're planning on staying the night," Chung joked.

"I doubt I would need it," Eve answered.

* * *

The Nasod left close to midnight, and the sun rose before Chung managed to find comfort in sleep. He was given the chance to shower and it was only then that he realized he had gone several days without a bath. And so, the day continued, and the evening settled, but the ships Penensio promised had yet to arrive.

"Must be rough seas or something," Chung commented, as he sat at his old arts-and-crafts table doodling with an old crayon. As much as he hated to admit it, his days spent locked in his room had literally reduced the young man to resorting to crayons for entertainment.

"I hope that's the case," Eve replied, standing at the balcony and looking over the courtyard.

"Watching Add, again? What's he up to?"

The Nasod shook her head. "The human has resigned himself to the Black Crow, for the day."

"Anything interesting going on out there, then?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Well, you've been staring out at the courtyard for a few hours… why not have a seat?"

He pulled aside one of the wooden children's chairs and wiped the dust off as best as he could with his hand before inviting her over. As usual, her expression was hard to read as she stood there staring at him. He almost gave up trying to coax her over when she finally stepped away from the railing and joined him at the short round table.

"What are you doing?" Eve asked, taking a seat on the wooden chair, hugging her knees as she glanced over the paper in front of him. Apart from random crayon scribbles of trees and geometric shapes, an elongated figure was drawn in the middle. It looked something like a black octopus with sharp appendages sticking out from it.

"Just drawing."

"What are you drawing?"

"Eh… nothing really… important. Just whatever catches my interest," the prince said, hand subtly covering up his work.

"I see."

He flipped the paper over before sliding a blank sheet towards the Nasod and a box of crayons. She looked at him curiously and he beckoned her to try.

"I'd rather not waste my time."

"You're standing around doing nothing here like me. Might as well try and make something."

He stared into her golden eyes as if begging her to join him and, to his joy, she relented. She grabbed a brown crayon and slid the paper in front of her. Tapping the bottom of her lip in thought, she began her sketch.

It was strange watching her draw—or rather—print out the image in her head. Like watching a machine at work, her hands scanned over the page, making strange and random marks and lines that didn't make sense to him. The Nasod changed colors, grabbing the yellow and repeated the process, going over each line with such purpose, it was clear that they were anything but random, and she knew exactly what she was doing.

She paused, glancing over her shoulder at Chung as he hovered behind her. Eve pulled her drawing away from him.

"Do you mind?"

"Oh… sorry," he backed away, as she took one of the children's books lined in the book case behind her and used it as a drawing surface. She turned the picture away from him and continued to sketch with several different crayons.

After a while, she set the half-depleted blue crayon down with a content sigh, sliding the finished picture face down on the table as she stood, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"It's about time I go."

He wasn't aware of just how much time had passed since she had visited him and to be honest, he was feeling a bit sad knowing she was leaving.

"What'd you draw?" he asked, watching her make her way to the door.

"Nothing really important," she responded, "Just whatever catches my interest."

The door clanged shut behind her and he listened to her fading footsteps before curiosity got the better of him and Chung flipped the drawing over.

He gasped at the amazing detail of the piece: the striking blond hair, the brown tips, the cyan eyes meticulously colored down to the paw print pupils. The shoulder and collarbone detail were sharp with realistic wrinkles on the off-white and faded blue t-shirt. It was  _him_. A three-quarter view of his face. He stared at it for a moment longer, noting how she even got the dimples right on his smile. Setting the drawing down, his hand moved aside as he uncovered his portrait of an octopus: a pitifully poor drawing of Eve standing at the balcony. It was nothing but a black and pink smudge compared to her illustration.

"Nothing really important, huh?" he said as he couldn't help but smile at the drawing.

* * *

The sun rose once more. Not a single ship had arrived. Already a full day behind schedule, the prince could feel the anxiety building in the courtyard below. The bathroom break he was granted in the morning only confirmed his concerns, as he did his business. Several soldiers were whispering to one another, each one as eager as the last to just be done with this place and leave.

He could even see the restlessness on the guards that walked the wall during the day watch. More time was spent staring off at the distant city of Resiam across the bay than watching for potential attacks. But, Chung couldn't blame them as he found himself half expecting to see the mast of five great ships rise in the distant horizon.

As the afternoon rolled into the evening, a knock came to his door once more.

"Come on in, Eve," he said, hearing the guard unlock the key as he answered.

Not taking his eyes off the children's book he was reading for the thirtieth time that day, a different, rougher voice echoed through his chamber.

"Eve, huh?"

Looking up, he found Raven and Aisha standing at the entrance, the door creaking shut behind them. The mercenary looked to be completely healed. Even his bandages had been removed, and he was already fully dressed in his combat gear. Aisha, on the other hand, looked as if she had spent the last few days with little to no sleep. Her hair was disheveled and messy while heavy bags hung at her eye lids.

"Aisha? And… Raven! Good to see you on your feet." The guardian hopped out of bed, tossing The Adventures of Flynn and Drake on his bed as he went to greet them.

"Good to see you're enjoying yourself," Raven commented, taking note of his surroundings before focusing his attention on the casually dressed prince.

"Yeah," Chung laughed, scratching the back of his head, "Top floor with a view. Couldn't ask for anything else if I tried. So, have the ships arrived yet?"

Raven and Aisha both looked at each other, and after a moment, the mage gave an uneasy shrug before breaking away from the two to explore the young man's room for the second time.

"No. Unfortunately," the mercenary said, clearing his throat.

"Is… everything okay?"

"Yes and no."

"... Bad news first?"

"The bad news is that we don't know when the ships are arriving. Word around the camp is they've received a crow with a message saying the stormy seas are slowing down any progress."

"And… the good news?"

"The good news is that they sent us a message. That's pretty much it. Knowing that the ships are still on their way is good and bad."

"Any estimation on when their arrival?"

Raven shrugged, "It can be anywhere between today or tomorrow or who knows when. I've sailed in rough seas before, and storms can take you far off course if you're not careful. The fact that their bird managed to find its way here is enough to assume they haven't been pushed too far off course."

"I hope it gets here soon."

"For the soldier's sake, I hope so, too."

"How've you been, by the way? I take it Useli fixed you up?"

Raven's eyes narrowed as he brought up the half-elf. "I should be asking you that, considering what that medic has told me. The whole incident with Ara, your escape from house arrest… I wake up and find Elsword's critically injured and you've traded your freedom for someone else's. What the hell happened after we assaulted the castle?"

"It's a long story. But that's pretty much the gist of everything going on. Now we're waiting for reinforcements to arrive to relieve these men of their duty," Chung replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the bedpost, "And what about you? How are you feeling?"

"Better than ever thanks to that medic. Have you seen Elsword since the mission?" The entire time they were talking, Aisha seemed to pick around the whole room but as the topic fell on their red-headed leader, she paused, turning her head ever so slightly over her shoulder but still kept her face hidden from the other two.

"No… why? How's he doing?" Chung asked, concern filling his eyes.

"The half-elf said she can't heal him. Not yet anyways."

"Why not?"

Raven shrugged, "Something about life force and requiring it as a catalyst for healing or something. She said he barely has any in his unconscious state and trying to heal him like that could kill him."

"What about health potions? Why can't they use those?" Chung asked. This time it was Aisha who spoke, though her face still remained turned away from the two men.

"They're poisonous to the body," she said, "Like mana potions, they can be fatal when consumed in large quantities. At the state he's in, we can't risk poisoning his body, nor would it give him any life force to begin with."

"So… what do we do?"

"We wait," Raven sighed, "Until he finally wakes up he can't be healed."

"And we don't know when that might be…" Aisha added. Suddenly, it made sense why Aisha looked as she did. Chung imagined the mage sitting at the young man's side whenever she could.

"But… that's the update from downstairs," Raven said walking over to the prince and giving him a heavy pat on the shoulder, "I know this might not mean much coming from me being a little late to the party but what you did for Ara was selfless. You did what you thought was best. And for that, I'm proud of you, kid."

Chung dropped his head. "Thanks."

"Aisha, let's go," the mercenary, "I should report with the High Commander for assignment."

"Never a day's rest for you, huh, Raven?" Chung said shaking his head.

"Actually," Aisha started, "Can you go ahead without me? I kinda want to talk to Chung in private."

"Suit yourself," the man said with a dismissive wave. He banged on the door and the guard let him out. As the door shut, the two stood on opposite ends of the room listening to Raven briefly converse with the guard before leaving. Neither said even when the footsteps down the long spiral staircase were long gone.

Thinking back, the last time he officially spoke to the mage, with the exception to her letting him say his piece after the Ara incident, was… the night after they took the castle. He remembered how he offered to push the two back together and how he spoke to Elsword about the whole relationship between the knight and the mage. It still hurt knowing he volunteered to do it. It hurt even more knowing she worries and loses sleep over it. He wondered if she'd do the same if he was caught in the blast instead of his friend.

"How are things with—"  
"So I've noticed—"

They both spoke in unison, and the two stopped and waited for the other to speak.

"You first," Aisha said, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

"How are things with Elsword?"

"Unchanged since we brought him in. He's unconscious. His back is badly burned… his arm is broken, and legs are a sickly swollen purple. If they don't heal properly, Useli says, she might have to amputate them. After that… if he survives that operation... even with her healing she can't give him his legs back…"

"I… see." In his mind, he was actually trying to ask about the relationship between the two. But, hearing her worry about his physical health rather than their romantic involvement made him feel like a naive child. Hearing the report was distressing to say the least, as well. He had always known Elsword as a fighter. But, without legs to stand on? What would he do then?

For a long while, the two were silent as the mage went about looking through Chung's old belongings. She stopped at the round table and flipped over a sheet of paper. She did a double take on the drawing before holding it up to compare with the prince sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Did you draw this?"

"Eve did."

"Eve, huh...? It's very well done."

The young man cleared his throat.

"You… were gonna ask something?"

"Oh… right," Aisha said, nearly forgetting what she was saying. She laughed nervously. "I actually feel a bit childish bringing this up now since we just got off a rather… heavy subject."

"You're good. What's on your mind?" the guardian brushed off her tentative tone and returned it with a sincere smile.

"Well… I've noticed Eve's been visiting you a lot recently."

"Yeah. She's trying to distance herself from Add."

"Is it a lover's quarrel?" Aisha feigned a gasp and Chung chuckled, shaking his head as the tension of the room slowly faded.

"Far from it. Apparently, Add's been trying to hack into her system."

"Is… that bad?"

Realizing she was in his shoes when he asked Eve the same question, Chung scratched his head, as he tried to simplify the situation down to layman's terms.

"Basically he's trying to gain access to her more personal programs in her head. If he does that she doesn't know what will happen given how good he is with that kind of stuff."

"Shouldn't we stop him then?"

"How? I'm stuck here without my weapons and how would we even deal with him? Tell Penensio? Add could easily deny it unless there's some proof that he's doing what he's doing. That is, assuming everyone on the ground understands what it exactly means to hack into someone's system."

"So there's no proof at all?"

"None except Eve's word."

"Guess I'll warn the others to keep an eye out for Add, as well, then."

"If you could, that'd really help."

"Huh… so that explains why she comes up here," Aisha sat on the table, reminding herself of the drawing once more as she slid it aside. Again, she seemed to be lost in thought. The mage continued.

"Is that the only reason why she comes up here?"

"I believe so. Why?" Chung asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Nothing… Just… over the past few weeks since we arrived I've… noticed a few things."

"Like?"

"Well. You hate Nasods."

"The majority of them, yeah."

"Eve?"

"She's alright in my book."

"But, you  _hated_  her before you left. Everyone in the El Search Party knew you two had to be kept apart as often as possible."

"Well… things happened after I got hurt. She looked after me and you can say I was thankful for that."

"You two fight very well together, too. Elsword told me about how you two had each other's bases covered during your infiltration mission. Your coordination with her was unbelievable he said."

"Were we?" Chung laughed nervously, opting not to mention the nano machines they were using to communicate, "I just did my job and she did hers. You can say we had a talk while I was recovering from fighting Victor."

"I also saw you two on the balcony the night before we attacked the temple. You had your arms around her."

"She was teaching me how to code!" Chung defended. "I had never used a keyboard before and she got tired of leaning over me to show me what buttons to push so she settled on sitting in front of me while I typed."

"Oh."

"Look. I know what it may look like and, okay, yes we've gotten a lot closer than we have ever been. But we're just friends. I'm not interested in her like that. I'm interested in-"

Aisha raised her finger at him, stopping him mid sentence.

"I know what you're going to say. And Chung, I'm flattered. Really…  _but_ …"

"Elsword."

The mage said nothing for a moment before she sighed, giving him a slight nod.

Chung flopped on his bed, sighing as well.

"What you said to me out at the courtyard," the mage began, "I've considered it a lot over the past week and I've decided to take your advice. As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him how I feel."

"Great," Chung mumbled as he shut his eyes, "I hope it works out for you. Is this what you wanted to talk about in the end? Because you have my blessing and I can't wait to hear about what he says when you finally tell him."

The prince's words were dry as he spoke and he could feel the nausea building in his stomach as he gave her his 'blessing'.

"No… that's not why I came up here. You've done so much for me already, I had to pay you back in some way."

"You can pay me back by letting me get some sleep now. I'm actually quite tired so…"

"Chung…"

"Aisha… it just sucks. You know? It sucks... not being loved by the person you care for the most. It sucks knowing that there's someone else. I know that we never had anything to begin with but… I just thought that we could have and it just hurts, okay?

"And if it makes you feel any better about dating him, I'm not being sarcastic when I say I hope it works out. But, it's still going to hurt seeing you together with him."

"That's why I wanted to help you," Aisha whispered.

"How? Please don't say Syrel because I am not interested in her in the slightest."

"With Eve."

Chung gave a single loud laugh.

"Why?"

"Because I saw you two up on that balcony during the bonfire," the mage replied, not wavering from his obvious objection to her plan, "I saw you how both of you stood there, hand-in-hand. You may say it's nothing for me, but I saw something between you and Eve. I… know why she was upset, too. She… she had feelings for Elsword, didn't she?"

Still laying on his bed and resting an arm over his eyes, Chung simply nodded.

"It wasn't obvious at first but seeing her like that, watching over all of us with you holding her hand, it all clicked."

"It's nothing," Chung argued back, "I told her that…  _ugh_ , this is so stupid… I told her that holding hands was a way of establishing mutual dependency and she took it literally and now she has this stupid definition in her head that—"

"And after learning this, she extended this form of social interaction towards you, right?"

"Yeah…"

"She depends on you, Chung. And you depend on her."

A memory flashed into the prince's head as he poured his heart out in Eve's arms, as she consoled him over Mud's death. Her presence was what drove him to continue fighting even when he doubted himself. She was there to assist him with that drive, going as far as to bargain with Add for his assistance. The guardian said nothing and, after a moment of waiting, Aisha continued.

"You're the only one she refers to by name, you know… she even got your smile right in this drawing… It makes me wonder, just what did she do in order for you smile like this?"

Chung heard footsteps as they drew closer to his bedside. Aisha placed the drawing next to him. He didn't say anything. He felt dizzy. He seldom spoke to her after the bonfire, yet she managed to deduce so much more than him just by watching from afar.

"I'll talk to her," Aisha whispered as she made her way to the door and knocked.

Chung shot up from his bed. "No!"

Ignoring him, the purple-haired mage gave him a playful grin and exited his room.

"Aisha! No! Please. I can't do this now!" He rushed to the door as it closed in front of him.

"Aisha!" He pounded on the metal door, "Aisha—get back here this instant!"

The guard pounding on the door back, telling him to shut up, was the only response he received.

* * *

Eve didn't stop to visit him that night. As the following day passed shipless yet again, and, after the sun had set in the west, the prince had all but assumed that she would be absent yet again, which didn't help his situation in the slightest. Chung had spent the majority of the day worrying about what exactly Aisha had said to the Nasod. He wondered if she'd react negatively or whether there'd be any reaction at all. The prince wasn't sure which would be worse.

At the same time, the self-proclaimed genius had not been seen over the past few days. He wondered if that were any reason for the Nasods absence. Chung mused that perhaps she fell under his control and is being held captive in the Black Crow as they spoke and he had to break free from his prison and rescue her. He quickly threw that thought out the window, though, as he realized he's been worrying about his nightly visitor far too much for his liking.

A clang of the lock was heard and he quickly turned his head towards the door. Eve stepped in and Chung felt a mixed wave of relief and anxiety that threatened to rip him to shreds.

"E-Eve… you're okay?"

The Nasod shut the door behind her with a sigh, regarding the young man with her golden eyes as she brushed a lock of her hair over her ear ports.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just thought that… Well you didn't come by last night and you're awfully late tonight so-"

"My apologies. I had night watch yesterday."

"And today?"

"I'm not aware of any specific schedule for visiting you. Is it too late for you tonight? I can come back tomorrow. I was late because—"

"No. No you're fine I was just wondering where you were and I was getting a bit lonely," Chung laughed nervously, clearing his throat as the Nasod didn't seem too amused by the remark.

She walked past him, taking her usual spot at the balcony once more. A subtle sweet scent filled his nostrils as she passed him. He couldn't put his finger on it but he very much recognized it from somewhere. Strange. All the other times she was near him, he never once caught the scent of anything other than a recent kill or the occasional mechanical oil smell from maintanence on her drones.

He stood next to her, watching as her eyes scanned the courtyard below. It took a moment but Chung realized the majority of her attention was fixated on the triage tent to the far right of the balcony. Several minutes passed and her gaze never left the white tent with the giant red cross. In the back of his mind, the prince wondered if she spent the majority of her nights just staring at it. His gut was telling him he wasn't too far from that assumption, either.

Eve was worried about him. Of course she would be. She cared for him, after all. From the moment she stepped in to protect him from the deadly barrage to now, Elsword's well-being was her priority. It must've been killing her inside knowing he was in critical condition.

"He'll make it," Chung reassured her.

Eve glanced at him briefly from the corner of her eye before returning her gaze to the big red cross far below. Crossing her arms she leaned on the railing, putting the weight of her body on her elbows.

"I hope so."

"Sure he will. He's come back from worse hasn't he?"

"I don't think he has..."

"He  _will_  come back. I know he will."

"You seem confident in your assumption despite no real medical history," she stated, doubt heavy in her tone of voice.

"I-It's a form of consoling."

"Oh," Eve stood up and turned to him, "Thank you."

As she turned to him fully in the moonlight, Chung noticed a very subtle off-pink tone of her lips. He wouldn't have noticed it if the ever so tiny gloss-like shine hadn't caught his eye. It wasn't like that before when he had seen her the past few nights and a thought crossed his mind.

"Eve?"

"Yes, Chung?"

"This may be a little off topic but have you… talked to Aisha recently?"

The Nasod nodded.

"Earlier today?"

"Earlier this evening."

"About…?"

"You and I."

Chung wanted to disappear from the face of the planet. What was he supposed to think? How was he supposed to feel? How did she feel about all of this? Did she even care? How would he go about asking now that she had brought this information to light?

"Er, ah, w-what, erm, what did she, er… ab-about uh… about what, you and I? What about you and I?" He stuttered, leaning against the railing trying to keep his cool whilst resisting the urge to jump off the balcony.

"She said you and I should talk more," Eve replied flatly.

"Erm… talk about what?"

"She didn't specify. But, she said it would be beneficial for both of us to communicate more. The mage also said it would be beneficial for me to wear lip gloss, perfume, and a hairpin."

"You're not wearing a hairpin, though."

"She didn't have the color I liked."

"Black?"

"Pink."

"What? Really?"

"Is it wrong for me to like pink?"

"No…" Chung imagined her with a pink hairpin, "it just doesn't seem to fit your outfit."

"Why not?" The Nasod looked herself over. She was garbed in her usual combat-ready suit: a black one-piece that hugged her slender frame, black arm wraps, black boots, and black Nasod 'wings' floating behind her. The only outlying color was the bit of vertical pink trimming at the hem of her one-piece.

"I don't think a hairpin is necessary with what you're wearing… maybe like a white ribbon. But not on your hair since it'd kind of blends with it."

The queen stared at her white locks then back up at the prince before her. "If not my hair then where would the ribbon go?"

"Um… Maybe along your dress or something. Like a pin or a brooch. And besides—" the prince stopped himself as he realized he was starting to get nitpicky over the Nasod's looks. He remembered that this was all instigated by Aisha. However, remembering that only caused his sense of nervousness to well in his chest once more.

"You know what? I don't know why I'm even—did Aisha even explain to you why she wanted to talk to you?"

Eve tilted her head curiously.

"The mage wanted to speak with me?"

Now, it was Chung's turn to be confused.

"Wasn't that… why you were talking to her in the first place?"

Eve shook her head.

"I approached her, myself. She seemed more than happy to assist, surprisingly."

"I… you… So she didn't force all this stuff on you?"

"Not without my permission."

The prince was at a complete loss for words at this point. What did this all mean? He thought. Did that mean she willingly spoke to Aisha about all this? About the slight changes in her appearance? If so, why? He had to know. At the same time, the answer he sought frightened him. He hated Nasods. Eve was the only exception. But...

"Eve. Why did you ask Aisha for help with this stuff?"

The guardian was at the queen's mercy at this point. Standing before her, waiting for her answer, he felt as if he were a mouse before a lion: exposed, on guard, and frightened beyond belief. He waited anxiously for an answer, and, in the back of his mind, reasoned that Eve must have been sadistically enjoying all this.

Eve sighed, brushing her hair back over her shoulder, "Isn't it obvious, enough?"

She waited for an answer. He didn't. It was rhetorical, wasn't it? Were Nasods even capable of asking rhetorical questions?

"It's because you're my friend."

Chung's shoulders slumped from the answer and he leaned over the railing lazily.

"But that's not the main reason," she continued, hugging herself tightly.

"It's because I give you sanctuary from that maniac," the prince replied with a sigh.

"Yes… but that's not the main reason."

"We understand each other because of the difficult decisions we had to make?"

"Yes… but—"

"Ugh… How many more reasons are there? I'm out of ideas," He rolled so his chest rested on the guard rails with his arms hanging about over the edge. His eyes rested on the triage tent far below. Aisha could be seen standing outside to catch a breath of fresh air. She looked up at the balcony, catching the prince watching her. They stared at each other for a long moment before she gave him a wave followed by a fist pump. She was encouraging him, he could tell. But, encouraged him to what? She unscrewed a flask of water and chugged it before screwing the cap back on and returned to the triage tent to watch over Elsword once more.

The two standing at the balcony sighed in unison.

Chung blinked. Looking to his right, he saw that Eve had returned to watching over the tent as well. He straightened himself, looking over the Nasod as she continued to hug herself tightly.

"Is it…" he began as he tried to choose his words, "because of those two?"

Never taking her eyes off the courtyard below the Nasod nodded.

"Because it hurts…?"

The Nasod's eyes slowly shut as she gave him another small nod.

"Because it just sucks not being loved by the person you care for the most?"

Eve drew in a sharp breath turning her head away from his as she tried to subtly bring a hand to her eyes. Chung stared at the back of the Nasod's head, noting the soft hiccups she desperately tried to keep from surfacing. He slid closer to her, pushing the wings aside as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Why does it hurt like this?" she asked, voice shaking. The prince felt the queen running the sleeves of her arm wraps over her eyes. He shrugged, tightening his embrace around her.

"That's just how it is when they're beyond your reach," he whispered, taking in the subtle scent of lavender in her hair.

She said nothing and they both simply stared down at the triage tent together. A sigh escaped both their lips again.

"But," Eve said after a while, "That's why I'm here."

She slowly turned to face him and, for the first time in his life, Chung saw the mighty Queen of Nasods reduced to tears before him.

"Because it hurts. And because the person I'm attracted to wants someone else more. I have had enough of it."

"I have, too," the guardian agreed.

Again, he noted the shine of the Nasod's lips.

"That still doesn't explain why you're wearing perfume and lipgloss," he chuckled.

Eve stared into his eyes as if waiting for him to figure it out himself. Deep in his mind, he already had but the reality was, he was too afraid to accept it. Had he been who he was a month ago, he'd argue that this was some form of Nasod Mind Control. He'd reason that she was manipulating him and looking to stab him in the back the moment he was of no use to her. Every bit of his body would have rejected her outright and told her that he would never let a soulless machine get to him.

"Chung?"

"Hm?"

"I know you're not attracted to Nasods," Eve dropped her gaze, staring off at some vague point in the distance over the young man's shoulder, "but… for now… would it be alright if a Nasod was attracted to you?"

If he had been who he was a month ago, he would have easily said no. He would have shot her down and told her that it was preposterous. He'd have told her that it was ridiculous that a heartless machine would even feel that way. But this was  _now_.

"Only if it's okay for a 'lowly' human to be attracted to you in return," he replied.

He was a different man. Eve wasn't a soulless machine. He knew from the subtle tells of her body and from the tear-filled eyes that once again met his at this very moment. She had removed the nanomachines a long time ago and he longed to know what went on in that core of hers. She would never manipulate him. She was too honest and flat in her responses to do something so deceptive. She's been doing nothing but giving him the not-so-subtle hints that he has been actively choosing to ignore. So then why, he wondered, had he been so afraid these past few days?

"When do I kiss you?" Eve asked, flatly.

Chung shut his eyes, the urge to laugh stopping at his throat.

"You don't have to ask, Eve. You just do it."

Suddenly, she leaned forward, bumping her lips against his for but a brief moment before standing back, hand over her mouth. Chung noticed the sudden and hard thumps of her chest against his as she visibly tried to calm herself down.

"Interesting," she commented, "The action of kissing seems far less incredible than you humans describe it to be."

"That's because you're not doing it right," Chung laughed openly this time.

"How then?"

Recalling his previous experiences the prince leaned towards her, pressing her gently against the railing. Chung expected Eve to push him away—not in a hard way but maybe a gentle nudge away for him being a little too close. Her hands remained on his chest but she did not resist. Instead, her golden eyes stared into his, waiting in anticipation for his guidance.

"First," he said, hands resting on her hips. The prince rested his head against the queen's. They were dangerously close now. Her body fit so well in his arms.

"Close your eyes."

Her "heart," something he believed to be…  _fake_ , was racing. Chung's was, too as he felt her warm breath on his lips. She did as he commanded, wrapping her arms over his shoulder as she leaned back.

"Then you close the distance... and…"

Their lips met once more. Longer this time as he tasted the subtle hint of grapes from her lip gloss. Lavender perfume filled his senses again, and he drank in the sensation as she only tightened her hold around him. Her lips were... soft. Warm, even. Far unlike that of a machine. And, the way her body naturally affixed against his was a form of passion he had never once experienced in his life. He wanted her. And, for the first time ever, the person wanted him back.

They broke the kiss, each gazing into each other's eyes as the fireworks faded.

"There," he said, slightly out of breath, "That's how you—"

She pulled him in, again. Her kiss just as passionate as the previous, and he welcomed it, holding them close for just a few moments longer before breaking the kiss one last time.

Eve dangled off his shoulders, her Nasod heart pounded in her chest, as she looked unable to comprehend the swirl of emotions in her core—her  _heart_. Her golden orbs stared not into his cyan eyes but through them.

"Are you alright?" Chung asked with smile as he swung the queen— _his_  queen—away from the balcony.

"Incredible," she whispered as she let go, regaining balance to her legs. She shook the daze away from her eyes, clearing her throat. "What is the daily limit for kissing?"

Chung blinked, as he felt the thrum of his heart pick up once more. He scratched his head, giving her a shy smile, "They do it as often as they would like, actually."

Eve stood there in front of him, eyes simply wide in wonder as she gently traced her finger over her own lips. She stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Then… can we do that a little more?"

* * *

Chung was awakened by the continuous toll of a bell. There was shouting in the courtyard below, and he groggily slid out of bed to see what the commotion was. Looking down at the remaining four hundred soldiers that scrambled out of their tents, his attention fell on the gathering pile of people around the southern wall of the castle. The sun had barely begun to crest the mountains in the east, yet, in the distance, the pristine blue waters in the horizon made it easy to spot the beautiful red and white sails of five Velder ships approaching Resiam's docking area.

The sleepy castle soon erupted in a wave of cheers as their ticket home had finally arrived. After a months of fighting for every inch of Hamel territory, the remaining veterans of this bloody war would finally be relieved. Leo can come home as a recognized hero among his brothers and Roger would be reunited with Pet, again.

"If only Mud had made it this far," he muttered, wondering how Pet would react knowing only Roger would return.

Among the cheering crowd, Chung spotted Eve standing in the middle of the courtyard looking up at him. He waved at her and the Nasod simply waved back. They had spent a lot of the remaining night together talking before Eve finally decided to take her leave. Most of which was going over what a relationship actually meant since the Nasod's knowledge of dating stopped after the kiss. For the most part, Chung kept it simple and gave her two rules: trust each other and speak up when something needs to be said. Eve had stated how simple and unimaginative they were and the prince reassured her that it was all part of what it meant to be dating.

She left shortly after. Being the type to run on a specific schedule, Eve was out of his room by midnight, leaving the prince to reflect on what happened. Being with a Nasod was definitely something he was going to have trouble getting used to. But if it was with her, he felt it could be done.

The cheering died as a strange rushing noise echoed across the mountains. Unsure of what was going on, the prince turned his attention to the sea. The water had receded. The sunken half of the Resiam looked as if it had risen out of the bay. A deathly chill filled the air around him as the sun deemed to dim as it crested the mountains. To everyone's horror a giant tidal wave had blotted out the sun and it pulled the surrounding ocean as it traveled from the eastern point to the western point of the bay.

Taller than the highest spire in the Resiam, the ships could do nothing but rest on the dried docks as the wave swallowed the eastern half of the city.

Slowly, more and more of the Resiam was consumed as buildings that once weathered the previous tidal surges snapped like a twig. Not a word was spoken as the previously secured half of the Resiam—along with all the old tents and wooden barricades—crumbled under the massive wave. The ships did not survive. As the body of water crawled its way to the easternmost point of Senace's bay, Chung finally understood what Avalanche meant when he said they were "too late."


	23. His Greatest Achievement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This couldn't be real. They had been too late to stop Avalanche's spell, after all. With the entirety of Velder's reinforcements at the bottom of the ocean, the El Search Party and what little was left of the empire's presence were now trapped in a kingdom infested by Ran's army. Forced to hunker down behind the fortified walls of Hamel castle, the humans are now expecting the return of the demon general.

"Raina, my beloved queen, how are you feeling today?"

The tall and mighty king knelt at his wife's bedside as their young prince clung to his father's shoulder. Helputt's large, calloused hands gently cupped their queen's cheek that trembled as she struggled to breathe. Deep blue eyes met with green ones as she put on a smile for the both of them. It took her a moment to answer as she had to keep up with her breathing but eventually she spoke.

"Better, than yesterday, love." She was never a good liar.

"Good… good. I'll have more of the medicine ordered right away. Though, it may take a while for them to ship it here considering how hard it was for me to find it," Helputt laughed heartily.

Queen Raina nodded weakly, "As long as I have you here with me… for the next few days."

Helputt's laugh faded as did his happy demeanor.

"Oh, don't go talking like that! You'll be fine. The doctors said that this was some very potent medicine. Possibly the strongest! Surely you'll get better. I know it. If not, I'll have their heads," he said as he laughed once more, and it quickly faded as he looked into her fading green eyes, "I'll search the ends of the world if I have to for a cure. You know I will. I'd trade the world for-"

"I know," Raina breathed, extending a frail hand to caress her king's face, "and for that... I couldn't have asked for a better husband."

A knock echoed through the bedchamber and the bedroom door opened as a man garbed in white stepped in, his head already lowered in a bow.

"Your majesty?"

"Ah! That reminds me. You haven't had breakfast, yet, have you?" Helputt rose to his feet, "Chung? Be a good boy and keep your mother company, will you? I'll let the cooks know."

The king quickly left the room, ushering the man dressed in white to go with him before shutting the door.

The young prince, barely tall enough to stand eye level with his bedridden mother shuffled his feet uncomfortably as he felt his mother's eyes on him.

"Since when have you grown so tall?" she whispered after a long while.

"Since I turned five years old," Chung replied, raising up five of fingers and very much happy with his achievement.

"Five years… you've grown so much since then…"

"Will you go to my six-year-old birthday party? You didn't go to my five-year-old birthday party."

"I know, Chung… and for that, I'm sorry," she replied, "I'll be there… for your next birthday party… I promise…"

"And the next one?"

The queen nodded.

"And the next one, too?"

Again she nodded yes, smiling at her son. "And the one after, and the one after that, and on till you get old and grey."

Chung laughed, "I don't wanna get old and grey."

"I do."

"Why?"

Raina didn't answer and simply admired the boundless energy from his bright cyan eyes.

"What's that you have, there?" the queen noted he had his hands behind his back the entire time.

The prince smiled and quickly brought out a pristine wooden figurine depicting a Velder soldier.

"It's my new toy. Papa said that he got it from when he went on his trip. He says he's going to start collecting these for me. He says the next time he goes out he's gonna bring me another one so I can have big fights and stuff. Why doesn't our kingdom have toys like these? These are neat!"

"He's been to Velder again..." Raina mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Oh… I said I'll talk to your father about it."

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be okay?" Her son was on the brink of tears now.

"Oh… oh, oh… my little Chung…" she leaned towards the bedside and wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't want you to go."

"I know, dear, I know… I'll do my best to stay. I promise."

The boy wept in her arms, and she held him as tightly as her weak arms allowed her to. With her limited time on the mortal plane, it was moments like this that she had to hold on to as much as possible.

"I'll be with you… Even when I'm no longer here, I'll still be with you," she promised.

"Mama!" he cried louder, not wanting to hear those words. For the prince, her embrace was so weak that he felt if he let her go she'd float away.

"Chung," his mother cooed as she shushed her weeping child, "I'll be with you. I'll always will." She reached over to the nightstand, pulling open a drawer.

She dug through a pile of decorative jewelry and withdrew a pretty white ribbon shaped as a Hamelian Snow Blossom with a golden button at its center. Two long white bow strings hung loosely from the ribbon which she carefully placed on the boy's small open hand.

The boy looked up at her, confused, only to have his mother nuzzle him gently.

"This was your grandmothers. It's my favorite ribbon. I don't have any use for it since I won't be going to any celebrations anymore."

"Mama…"

"Don't cry, Chung… I'm still here… And I'll always be with you… Always."

* * *

"And you want to give this to her?" the mage asked, tilting her head as she stared at the ribbon resting neatly in a jeweled case.

"Do you think it's too forward?" Chung asked as he clipped on his shin guards and leg plates, "I mean, I did say a white ribbon would look good on her. But I don't know. It's my mother's and what if Eve doesn't like it?"

"It  _is_  your mother's," Aisha asserted. She peeked over her shoulder to see if Chung was decently dressed before turning around and walking over to him.

"And you loved her, based on your story. But you love Eve, too, don't you?"

Chung averted his eyes away from the mage as she used the 'L' word.

"I… well, I definitely  _like_  her. But, I mean-"

" _Don't you?_ " she asked again, leaning closer to him with a knowing smirk.

"I don't know…"

"I saw you and Eve standing at the balcony two nights ago. I go in, check on Elsword for a bit, and I come out and find you two practically eating each other's faces off."

The prince covered his face in embarrassment. He hadn't seen Eve much since the disaster of the other day. The entire castle was put on high alert with double the manpower on longer guard shifts. This had been Aisha's only break after a twelve-hour watch, and she had come up to see how Chung was doing as well as relay orders to him from the High Commander.

"Were we really that easy to see from the courtyard?" the prince asked, still covering his red face.

"Nah, I just knew where to look. But I'm happy for you two. I was actually quite surprised when Eve came to me for help with that stuff. Sorry about the whole… purple-colored theme with the grapes and lavender. I… didn't have much else on me at the time."

"It's fine. She said pink was more her color, anyways."

"Pink?" Aisha asked, perplexed.

"I know, right? After she's been in black the whole time…"

"But regardless," Aisha said, changing the subject and handing him the small jeweled box, "I think you  _should_  give this to her. It means a lot to you, and I'm sure it'd mean a lot to her, as well."

"I guess you're right," Chung sighed, removing it from its box and sliding it into his blue scarf.

"You ready?" Aisha tilted her head with a smile as the prince slid his revolvers into their holsters and shouldered his cannon.

"For Penensio, or for Eve?" the prince giggled.

"Penensio… but Eve, too," she lead him to the door and the guard unlocked it for the both of them. As they descended the stairs, Chung could feel the anxiety beginning to boil at the pit of his stomach.

"Relax," Aisha reassured him, "She'll love it. Like how she loves you."

"Would you stop saying  _love_ , please?" the prince grumbled, stopping in his tracks as the mage proceeded further down the stairs, "I'm still getting used to the idea of  _liking_  her."

Aisha laughed, "Alright, fine. I'll let you two get over the hurdle yourselves, then, instead of pushing it along."

"Why are you going so far to help me, anyway?"

This time it was Aisha's turn to stop, causing the prince to nearly run into her.

"Do you really want to know why?"

"That's why I'm asking," Chung shrugged.

"Really, really?"

"Yes…?"

"You're not going to like it."

"Then… no?"

Aisha smiled and turned, continuing her walk down the long spiral stairs. But seeing her do such a thing only fueled the fires of his curiosity. He caught up with her once more, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"Tell me."

The mage sighed.

"It's because," she began after much hesitation, "I didn't want things to continue the way they were going for you. I know what it's like, hanging on to the hope that one day the person you admire would somehow admire you in return. It's painful, really, wishing things would go forward yet fearing that next step… riding that fence between friendship and something else... I didn't want you liking me anymore. I didn't want you to be fearful-like how I was with Els. And when you offered to push things forward for me… even after what I've said to you… It made me realize that you deserved better. So I wanted to put your attention elsewhere."

"So… this is another play on my feelings then…?"

"It's… not like that. I mean, I guess it is but… What you want between you and I isn't going to happen. I wanted you to realize this, so I thought-"

"What about Eve? Is she only interested in me because you manipulated her into thinking that way?"

"Chung, I-"

"I get it," Chung muttered, walking past her.

"Chung…" Aisha pulled on his shoulder and he shook her off him.

"I said  _I get it_ ," he growled, "You wanted Elsword all to yourself and didn't want the competition so you paired Eve with  _me_. I think I'm finally starting to understand you." He quickly stormed down the stairwell, leaving the mage in the dust.

"Chung!" she called after him, "wait!"

He didn't, only increasing his pace as he heard her light footsteps chase after him. There was a flash of light further down the stairs and he found himself nearly running headlong into the recently teleported mage. She raised her hands, pressing against his chest to stop him dead in his tracks.

"Chung, I swear by all the gods-"

The prince tried to wrestle his way through, but Aisha held him in place, threatening to send them both tumbling down the stairs if he resisted.

"Listen to me," Aisha said through gritted teeth, "I swear by all the gods I'm doing this for you and Eve. No one else. Not for my own personal gain or nothing. This has nothing to do with Eve liking Elsword, too. This has everything to do with you. I thought you two would be happier together, so I'm doing my part as your friend to give the relationship a little nudge. Yes, I steered the conversation towards you when I spoke to Eve every now and then. Yes, I did the same for you. Yes, I provided the necessary means to let you see her in a different light. But everything that happened afterward happened because you two genuinely like each other."

The guardian stopped struggling at that point and looked at her straight in the eye. He may not be good at picking up lies, but everything in her sleep-deprived eyes seemed to be telling the truth.

"You still manipulated us," Chung snarled.

"But… you're my little brother. I only want the best for-"

"You are  _not_  my big sister. You are  _not_  my family. And you are  _not_  my friend anymore. I don't want anything to do with you."

His words hit the mage hard and as he stared her down, challenging her to argue back. She didn't.

"I don't need you. Now get out of my way and let me live my own damned life  _without_  you."

Aisha quietly stepped aside, letting the prince pass. Without another word between the two, Chung made a mental note never to speak to that woman ever again.

"Chung," the Nasod greeted him as he threw open the double doors to his tower. "You're late."

From the looks of things, the remaining soldiers who weren't currently on watch had gathered at the courtyard for some kind of official address.

"Yeah, sorry had to tie up a few loose ends," Chung said, checking over his shoulder to see the mage slowly make her way down with them.

"You still have a few loose ends," Eve said, pointing at the white bow strings hanging off his scarf, "I'll tie it for you."

She stepped closer to him and began tugging on the bowstrings trying to find the source of the knot only to pull the Hamelian Blossom out of its hiding spot and dangle loosely in the air. Eve tilted her head, cupping the ribbon in her hands as she curiously studied it.

"Chung," she said, holding out the ribbon, "What's this?"

The young man reached for it but paused as Aisha's words echoed in his head.  _She'll love it. Like how she loves you._  Was that even true? Now that he knew they've both been manipulated did the Nasod really have feelings for him?

He took the ribbon from her, staring at it for a long moment as he wasn't sure of himself anymore.

"Chung?" Eve called his name once more and he looked up, cyan eyes meeting beautiful golden orbs. Had anyone else been looking at her, she would've looked no different than if she were happy, angry, upset, or tired. But to the prince, he saw curiosity, concern, and genuine affection that she wouldn't give anyone else in the world. Why did he ever doubt her? He held it out for her once more.

"It's for you."

"For me?"

The prince nodded as the Nasod tentatively took the ribbon on hand and stared, perplexedly, at it. She raised it to her hair and tried to figure out how to stick it on, and Chung only smiled, taking it from her.

"It'd be hard to see in your hair, remember?" he laughed, as he fixed it on her top piece. Chung was sure that had it been anyone else that was tugging on her top she would have quickly slapped them but for the prince, she remained completely-if not a bit nervously-still.

"There," he whispered, satisfied with how it stood out against her black suit.

"This offers no strategic advantage," the queen said, running the back of her hand along the strings, "Why would you give this to me?"

"It was my mother's," Chung said, "And my grandmother's before that."

The Nasod tilted her head.

"Do you wish for me to be a mother?"

Again the prince somehow found himself at a loss for words.

"I… I didn't say that, but… I… is that even… can we? Actually, nevermind. Don't answer that. I just thought it'd look good on you."

"Good as in combat effective?"

The guardian shook his head, "Good as in beautiful."

"Oh."

It only took a moment for her to process what he was saying as he could have sworn he picked up the faintest rosy tint on her cheeks.

"Does it?"

Chung nodded. "It suits you."

"I… don't know what to say. Thank you, Chung. I shall repay you when we next have the opportunity," she leaned in and pecked him lightly on the cheek, causing the prince to giggle goofily as he scratched the back of his head.

"You don't have to, really. It's just a gift."

"But I must. This relationship status is quite new to me and I am more than willing to partake in the social obligations it entails as long as it's with you. But… later. The high commander has summoned you."

She spun on her heel and made her way to the courtyard where the others had filed in. The thought of Eve giving him a gift in return was both exciting and frightening in his mind. He remembered the time the search party had attempted to settle on cooking rotations when they all traveled together. Eve's cooking was… unsatisfactory to say the least. The food and presentation were phenomenal, with full entrees and appetizers. However, the idea that she processed all the food through a machine that broke down molecular components of literal garbage was… unappetizing. That was the last time she was ever tasked to cook and openly gifted anything to people. He was confident, though, that she wouldn't give him anything similar to the garbage-to-food processor in return. At least he hoped.

Aisha passed him, saying nothing to him as the moment ended. Before she was beyond earshot, however, he called to her, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Aisha," the prince spoke in a soft voice as he swallowed his pride just this once for that woman, "Thanks."

She didn't turn to face him but quietly continued on her way to meet with the others. And that was that. It hurt him knowing that they weren't on speaking terms again, but at the same time he wanted it to be like this. Aisha needed to understand: he had his own life to live and he didn't need her interfering with it.

"Took your sweet time," the high commander muttered as the prince joined the crowd that stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the main castle door. At the top of the stairs stood the remaining three high ranking officials: Penensio, Denka, and Lowe. Their faces were solemn as were the rest of the soldiers who stood at their feet. Even Roger, who the prince spotted standing near the front, couldn't be bothered to be angry at the prince.

"So. You've set me free. Why?" Chung asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Penensio motioned towards the dwindling numbers in their ranks, "we're short staffed as it is and we're doubling the number of troops on watch and doubling the shifts. After losing our reinforcements to the tides, we're on high alert for anything the demons might throw at us.

"Your being released because not a single soldier will be spared from their duty to protect their brothers and sisters."

Chung scratched his chin, "So then we'll have to hold out until the next wave of reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements?" Penensio snorted, "Seiker. You realize that the next wave, should there be one, would take another month?"

"What do you mean 'should there be one'?"

Penensio sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he visibly struggled to word his next phrase the best way possible.

"There isn't going to be any reinforcements, Chung. I've sent word to the palace the day the massive wave destroyed our ships and killed our men. We're pulling out."

"What?!" Chung had to shout over the others as the remaining four hundred surviving soldiers erupted in a mix of jeers and disbelief.

"After all we've done…" a soldier shouted as well.

"You're telling us that we all fought for  _nothing_?"

"Think of the thousands of men and women who gave their lives fighting under you!"

"I know…" the high commander sighed, shutting his eyes.

"Think of all the progress we've made!"

"We have the demons on the ropes and you're going to just quit on us?"

"I say to hell with the high commander!"

" _Enough_!" Penensio screamed over the rest, causing the entire crowd to fall silent.

"I-no-we have thought of everything you've said and more. We've gone through every possible scenario and the only viable option we have that guarantees us making it out alive is to leave.

"Everything all of you have stated is true. Yes, we have the demons on the ropes. Yes, we have gotten so much further this past month than we have in years… But the reality of the situation is: we cannot go any further as we are. Those ships had food and supplies that were supposed to keep us going for the next three months. The demons somehow knew this and capitalized on it."

Penensio's eyes fell on Chung and he already knew what he was getting at without him bringing Ara up.

"The fact of the matter is we're low on supplies and manpower. Trying to hold out for a month with barely enough rations to get us through two weeks is a death sentence. We have to leave, or every one of us will surely meet their end."

Roger raised his hand and Penensio nodded at him.

"But how are we going to leave?" the tall soldier asked, "Our only ticket out of this damned place was completely destroyed by that tidal wave."

"We still have one more ship," the High Commander pointed up at the sky, bringing everyone else's attention to the Black Crow, "If we were to bring every single soldier on board while leaving the heaviest equipment, all of us should be able to get a ride safely out of Hamel."

As if to answer that suggestion, the airship in the sky turned slightly, bringing the bow of its ship towards the courtyard as powerful headlights shined off the ship's hull. The lights coalesced over the soldiers as a giant projected screen appeared above them. Add's face, bearing that same scheming grin, winked into the screen.

"What's this about abandoning Hamel, High Commander?" the self-proclaimed genius asked.

"You heard our reasoning. The risk is too great for my men to continue. We have to-"

"Not while we're so close to our goal, Penensio. Surely you haven't forgotten about my ship's potential."

Chung didn't like where this was going. As he stood there staring up at the projected screen, he saw Raven move to stand next to him.

"Just what is this idiot up to…?" the Blade Master mumbled, crossing his arms.

"He's been making modifications to the ship. I think all that power got to his head after he took out Avalanche with his upgrades," the prince replied.

"Even so, the firepower you possess could also jeopardize the mission," Penensio reasoned, "We are looking to claim the El Stone of Water. Not destroy it."

"And that's what I intend to do, as well," Add agreed, "But I can't do it when my servants are trying to leave."

Penensio's eyes narrowed.

"What are you saying, Add?"

The man on the projected screen laughed.

"What I'm saying,  _High Commander_ , is that you're no longer in control here.  _I_  am. And I say no one leaves until I get my hands on that stone."

"Mutiny!" Penensio cried, drawing his sword, causing the white-haired man to cackle loudly.

"And what do you hope to accomplish with that? You forget your place, Penensio. When you get yourself into a fight, be sure to bring the bigger gun."

The ship rotated, directing its broadside artillery towards the castle square. A number of objects were launched from the main deck, and as they rushed to the castle ground, projected safety nets rapidly slowed their descent. Armed half-nasod mercenaries arrived by the dozens via the ship's rapid deployment chute and quickly took their positions along the walls surrounding the courtyard and outside the group up Velder soldiers. A single purple eye shined through the thick tinted gas-mask and each soldier drew their machine guns. They quickly encircled the Velder soldiers, silently but purposefully motioning them to lay their weapons down.

Chung, as well as the rest of the able-bodied El Search Party members, were among the group as they laid their weapons down before the mind controlled mercenaries. The artillery was armed and the screen changed to an onboard view with the crosshairs trained directly in the middle of the courtyard.

"So you may have run through the most sensible scenarios, I'm sure, Penensio," Add continued through the loud ship speakers, "But I propose another solution: either your men fight and die under my command, or they simply die here. It may slow things down a bit on my end, but I think I can manage without ground troops with the tools I have with me, here."

"The hell is going on here…?" Raven growled, throwing down his sword as various barrels were pointed at him, "I'm the leader of the Black Crow! Not him! You all answer to  _me_!"

Raven was sent reeling forward as the butt of a machine gun struck him in the gut followed by a swift blow to the back of the head.

"Raven," Add chortled, shaking his head, "Raven, Raven, Raven. How old-fashioned of you to assume control based on merit. I thought it was ridiculous, really, usurping the current leader of the crow mercenaries and telling the men that you're the new alpha male. How primitive the human mind works. They don't answer to you, anymore. Not while I control their will with my technology. Now  _I_  have their undying loyalty whether they like it or not."

Add then turned his attention back to Penensio who was in the process of being tied up along with Lento and Denka.

"So,  _High Commander_ , what shall you have your troops do today?"

Penensio was brought to his knees as he was forced to look upon each frightened and confused face. Either choice he made would spell doom for the soldiers. What could he do? What could anyone do? The leader of the Red Knights dropped his head.

"Fight…"

Add smiled, "What was that? I don't think your men heard you. Tell them exactly what you want them to do-"

Penensio raised his head high. "Fight!"

For a moment the four hundred men looked unsurely at their commander as the fire in his eyes never seemed to have left since the moment he drew his sword at Add.

"I said  _fight!_  Up in arms, men! We'll purge this world of this man's evil! For glory!"

At that moment, he rose to his feet. Before the mercenaries could react he backhanded the soldier to his right, disarming him and turning the machine gun to the crow mercenary on his left and emptying the entire clip.

Lowe was next to react, sweeping his leg around and knocking another merc on the ground before rolling out of the way to pick up his sword.

"Armageddon Blade!" the magical sword surged forward, cutting the Half-Nasod standing over Denka in two before expertly weaving his sword over Penensio's head and finishing off the soldier the High Commander struck first.

The men responded with a resounding cry as they each picked up their weapons once more and charged headlong into the firing line.

Dozens were cut down in the first few seconds by the hail of bullets as the full force of four hundred Velder soldiers pushed through their fallen comrades to reach their new enemies.

Chung cut a swath of mercenaries on his side with precisely placed shots, before raising his cannon to block the incoming machine gun fire from the mercs posted on top of the wall. More mercenary troops were deployed from the ship, each one more mechanical than the last until military-grade Nasod units began appearing among the ranks.

"Abominations," Eve muttered as she saw the Nasods fire up their chain guns and fired ropes of plasma rounds into the Velder ranks.

"Moby, Remy: Atomic shield. Now." Throwing an orb of pure El into the air, her drones quickly converted the energy into opening a portal. Data flowed outward in a sphere as a giant protective barrier encircled the men, allowing them to close the distance with the mercenaries. Their advance was cut short, however as Nasod bladers, with their inhuman precision, cut through each soldier like grass..

Add laughed, "Do you like the improvements, My Queen? They were built with the codes you've so generously given me."

Through the storm of bullets and blades, Chung spotted Roger fighting toe-to-toe with a Nasod blader. As if luck were on his side, he duck and dove through the relentless assault of spinning blades and counter-attacked with a well-trained thrust into the Nasod's torso. The machine never faltered after each strike, however, and the old soldier soon found himself falling on his heels from the continuous attacks.

"With slight improvements made by yours truly, of course," Add continued.

The blader stood back as a flash of red on the machine's chest caught Chung and Roger's attention. Raising his shield, a red-hot laser was fired from the machine's chest, glancing off the shield and incinerating Roger's forearm.

"No!" Chung cried, slinging his cannon off his shoulder, powering the homing mechanism, he fired a single missile that flew up and around the mess of soldiers and Nasods, connecting with the blader and obliterating it in a burst of blue flames.

"Roger! Are you okay?" the prince hurried to the soldier's side.

Amidst the stream of curses that exited the man's mouth, he managed to utter a simple "no" that was only confirmed by the blackened hand that still gripped his blade.

"Thanks for that, though, kid."

"Can you stand?"

"My arms burned, not my gods damned leg," Roger replied through gritted teeth.

"Find Useli."

"The medic?"

"Yes. Do it now. Have her fix you up and keep her safe. If you can, find Leo, too," Chung's eyes caught movement at the corner of his eye and he pulled the man over to him, turning his back as machine gun rounds rattled loudly against the cannons lung on his back.

"The hells are you doing, kid?"

"I'm trying to keep you safe! I'm getting you out of here alive if it's the last thing I do! Now go!"

Roger found his footing as he stared into the prince's eyes. Part of him wanted to say something to him, but the prince had none of it.

"Pet's waiting for you at home, Roger. I'm sorry I couldn't send you home with Mud… but this is the least I can do."

"But what about Add?" Roger asked as another blader landed directly behind Chung. He unslung his cannon, catching the blader by its chest with an upward swing before re-slinging his weapon and unleashing a hail of rounds upwards at the flying body.

"I'll figure something out! Get out of here and hide!"

Roger simply nodded and turned to make his way to the triage tent. With a sigh of relief, Chung turned his attention back to the Nasods that deployed from the ship.

"These are nothing but abominations," Eve said to Add, driving spear after spear into the cores of each Nasod unit that hit the courtyard, "I looked to end my race's need for war machines. You're merely feeding the fire I wish to extinguish."

"Abominations? My dear queen, you wound me! After all that I've done for you? Please hold your judgment until I've revealed my greatest achievement to you. I'm sure you'll have a change of heart, then."

"I have no interests in taking part in your aberrant inventions, human," She gracefully spun around, flinging a precisely placed spear into the core of another blader just as it landed, "Cease this childish rebellion, or I will destroy you myself."

Add's face contorted in annoyance as he pressed a few buttons off screen.

"Childish…? My queen, everything I've done was for you. There is nothing childish about my desires."

"They are," Eve said, finishing clearing her area as she stared up at the ship, "Your pursuit for my attention has not gone unnoticed. But they have been rejected. You just can't accept it. I will not help you. Not for what you've done."

Add eyed the queen as her words fell on denying ears. He shook his head as he appeared to be the verge of losing it.

"You're the one that can't accept me, Eve. I am far superior compared to these primitive neanderthals. They don't understand you like me. Now, kindly step away from the firing zone and I'll clear this place of these filthy low-lives."

"No," Eve said, standing along the wall as the Nasods clearly wished to avoid combat with her, "You either destroy me and the codes you seek along with these humans or you take your foolish pride and leave."

The man on the projected screen looked to be at a loss. His eyes searched for a way to convince his queen.

"Why…?" he asked after a long moment, "These unevolved chimps don't deserve you. You have absolutely no reason to side with them. Why are you even wasting your time-"

"Because," Eve said, turning to Chung who climbed the stairs to the wall as the last of the Nasod soldiers fell, "I have him."

Add looked between the two and his eyes burned at the sight of her hand gripping Chung's. The prince glanced at the Nasod, giving her a knowing smile. Eve turned her head away, withholding the urge to return the grin.

"Fine," the man clad in white said as he turned to Chung. His voice was shaking as the projected feed flicked back to the crosshairs trained at the courtyard, "If I can't have her, then I have no problem ripping her out of your cold, dead hands."

"He wouldn't…" Chung muttered, stepping back and pulling Eve behind his cannon.

Add's cocky grin returned as the artillery was armed once more. "I would."

The courtyard fell silent as the air above them crackled with unnatural energy. A bright yellow beam cut through the sky, piercing straight through the tallest tower of Hamel castle and punching the hull of the Black Crow.

Distant explosions echoed as one of the engines of the airship was torn off from the blast. Even Add didn't know what to do as the projected screen suddenly vanished while the ship tried to correct itself from the attack. Again the air sparked with unnatural energy and yet another yellow beam shot across the sky, narrowly missing the ship as it careened sideways to avoid the blast.

Following the trail of energy past the eastern wall, the soldiers were quick to point out a strider standing atop of the wall with the arm of a destroyed blader in its teeth. It tossed the appendage aside before giving out a ghastly howl that summoned forth the rest of its pack.

"Demon attack!" A soldier cried as the striders rampaged through the disorganized troops.

Beams of charged energy from beyond the wall pierced the heavens once more. The Black Crow suffered another direct hit, forcing the ship to revert its cannons beyond the wall and fire a retaliatory barrage.

Something slammed against the thick northeastern gate, causing the wide metal bars to rattle against their locks. Demonic howls could be heard just beyond the walls as soldiers hurried to defend it.

"By the gods… there are hundreds of them," one of the soldiers reported before an elven arrow struck him on the throat.

With the striders still tearing through the soldiers recovering from the first fight, Chung could only focus on the airship bombarding the demon threat beyond the walls.

"Chung…?" Eve turned to him, silently asking him what their next move was, seeing as the prince already had a plan.

"I'm going up there," Chung replied, leaping down from the battlements and cutting through the courtyard.

"Raven!" he called, garnering the attention of the mercenary just as he cut down one of the striders.

"Chung! Help the archers on the wall. We have to keep the crushers from breaking in-"

"Have Rena, Eve, and Aisha handle it. I'm going to need you at the gate with Elesis and whoever else that can fend off a wave of demons."

"Chung. What in the hells are you going to do?"

The prince pointed up at the ship.

"Add may be fighting with us now, but the second the threat is taken care of, he has no reason not to turn his guns on us, especially at the damaged state he's in. I have to take care of him now, or we're  _all_  going to die whether we hold off the attack or not."

"Chung. I'm going with you," Eve said.

"No can do. You're needed here helping the front line."

"But what if you fail?"

"I won't."

"Add has done unspeakable things to my kind. If you are going alone, against a horde of Nasods and the man controlling them, your odds of success are slim."

For a moment, the two stared at each other as Chung silently considered her words. Onboard his ship, Add was at an advantage. There was no telling what that man had in store for him.

"Fine, you're coming with me."

Raven couldn't help but interject, clearly not liking any of this.

"How the hells are you going to get up there anyway?"

"I think I have a way."

Chung stared up at the mercenary as the older man tried to gauge his words.

After a moment the black-haired man sighed. "Go. Don't make me regret this."

* * *

The stable doors flew open, turning the heads of the five Hamelings stabled there. The Hamelian stood at the entrance, expecting nothing but hostility from the beasts as he entered. Chung received none as he carefully made his way into the stable, arms out defensively in case one attempted to bite him.

"They're not attacking me, that's a good start," the prince said, "That confirms my theory…"

"Which is…?" the Nasod stepped in after. Only then did the white dragons begin to growl and hiss. Eve stepped back, eyes darting from maw to gleaming maw as she readied a spear.

"No- no, no, no. Calm… calm… She's not one of them… She's Alteran. She's not one of them," Chung cooed, slowly advancing to the largest of the five at the back. Smaller than the typical dragon, the most massive Hameling stood at twice the height of the average man.

"One of them…? The demons?" Eve never lowered the spear that hovered over her shoulder, but the young man's words soothed the dragons from Eve's presence. As Chung stood before the largest of the five, it lowered its head, sniffing curiously at him before gently nuzzling him on the cheek.

Chung sighed before shaking his head at the queen. "Not demons. Velder soldiers."

A loud crack sounded through within the courtyard, garnering the entire stable's attention.

"Demons have breached the wall! Demons have breached the wall!" a crier shouted. Again the Hameling in front of the prince gave a low growl.

"No, no… I know they've hurt you-they've hurt us, before. But time's are different."

The dragon continued to growl as Chung broke the metal restraints chaining the beast to the ground with his revolver.

"You don't have to help them," the prince reasoned, "but I need you to help me."

It stopped growling and turned to the prince, tilting its head as it flicked its forked tongue curiously at him.

"Please," Chung spoke in a soothing voice, "My kingdom needs your help."

* * *

The wind whipped wildly against Chung's face as the dragon beat its powerful wings, carrying the Hamelian and the Nasod higher into the air. Glancing at the castle grounds that drifted further and further away, Chung saw just how dire their situation was:

Red, be it uniform or blood, covered the inner walls of the castle and just beyond the thin strip of defensive wall, a singular mass of inky blackness waited to file in. The demonic horde easily quadrupled the men and women fighting within the walls and like oil through a crack, the hell-spawned horde bled through the defenses. Craters and burning ruins from bombardments dotted the white and green landscape at the demon's feet and at the furthest end of the invading force, four bright lances of light sheared the clouds, pounding and destroying more of the airship's reinforced hull.

"That ship, right there!" Chung pointed as he guided the dragon by its reins. He felt the grip around his waist tighten as Eve clung to the young man.

"You alright, back there?" he asked, checking on her as she buried her face against his back.

"I'm fine," she shouted over the harsh gusts of wind.

"We're almost there," he reassured her, patting on the arms that were wrapped around him. He then turned to the Hameling, "Drop us off at that huge hole on the side of the ship. I don't think we'd be able to get in any other way."

As commanded, the Hameling flew over to the gaping hole where one of its engines had once been. Carefully letting its passengers off, Chung patted the beast on its chest.

"Thank you for your help. Head back down and free your friends. We'll take it from here."

The Hameling gave him an acknowledging snort before taking off once more, diving headlong back into the ravaged courtyard.

Beyond the damaged hull, Eve and Chung found themselves wandering an unfamiliar ship that pulsed and lit up like the beating of a heart. The hallways were dark, save for strange purple lighting displaying various meters and warning lights relative to the section they were in.

The fires of an El-powered forge churned and flared through the grated floors as conveyor belts below the two intruders constructed an array of munitions and parts of Nasod battle units. The flashes of purple and orange patterns amidst the dark hallways were disorienting, to say the least. Any movement was hard to detect and when they did encounter the occasional crow mercenary, it merely paid them no mind as it idly moved from one designated point to another, turning and operating a number of knobs and levers.

"This way," Eve pointed to the right as they eventually ran into a three-way split.

"You know where to go?"

She nodded, "The interior may be different, but the layout is largely the same. This way will lead to the main deck and the bridge where we are likely to find him. The middle leads down to the lower deck while the left continues to the medical bay and crew quarters."

Suddenly, the orange and purple lights flicked off, ushering the two in darkness. Cackling can be heard echoing through the dark halls as Moby and Remy quickly shined their headlights around them.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Add's voice resounded through the onboard speakers, "Not only do I have my beloved queen safely on board with me, but she brought her pet  _dog_  as well."

"Add!" Chung yelled, unsure if he could hear, "Whatever it is you're planning, you do  _not_  have to go this far."

"Oh but I do, young prince," the man's voice continued, "Your feeble little mind cannot comprehend the complexity of my goals. You and your pathetic friends have been nothing but an obstacle for me."

"But we could  _help_  you Add!" Chung reasoned, "That's what we wanted to do since you joined! It's what Elsword wanted!"

"Elsword?!" Add laughed, "What help? All that idiot has to offer is his ability to wave a sharp stick around. He couldn't possibly help in the understanding of space and time."

"Space… and time? Add what are you on about?"

"You don't get it, young prince. I won't waste my time explaining. My beloved queen, however…"

Eve gripped Chung's arm. "I told you, human," She said flatly, "I will not help you. Your crimes against your own kind make you a despicable spawn not worthy of anything."

"Shouldn't I be saying the same for you, Eve? Or Chung, even?" Chung could easily picture the man grinning ear to ear at his own argument.

Chung felt the grip on his arm tighten. Eve continued.

"What we did was the best option we had. We had no other choice."

"As did I, my queen. After your… misguided interest in that boy, you have left me with no choice, either."

The audio was cut and, after a brief moment, Eve's grip on his arm loosened as he heard her pained cries directly behind him.

"Eve?!" the prince spun around to see the Nasod, eyes shut, clutching her head as she struggled to remain on her feet. She leaned against the metal wall, crying out in agony as she slammed the blue jewel on her head against the hard surface.

"Eve! Stop it! What are you doing?!"

"It hurts…" she whined, sliding down to the floor as she curled into a ball still clutching at her head.

"Add?!" Chung roared, rising to his feet, "What did you do to her?!"

"You see, my queen," the technophile continued, "I know you're against my 'abominations' as you so kindly put it."

The proud Nasod was reduced to a mess of agony as Chung could do nothing but hold her. He gripped her hand and she returned it, squeezing with a strength that threatened to crush his fingers. Blood oozed from her teeth as she bit into her tongue trying to ward off the pain. Through her pained moans, Add continued.

"Day and night I've toiled in your service for the thing I've so greatly desired. But you kept it from me. Dangling it in front of me like a carrot on a stick. I waited, my queen. Believe me, I've waited. Yet you gave me  _nothing_."

He spoke with such venom in his voice that it sent a chill down the helpless prince's spine. What could he do? He couldn't leave Eve suffering like this.

"You treated me like one of  _them_. Like an unsophisticated monkey unworthy of the dirt at the heel of your boot. But I'm more than these uneducated humans. I understand you. Down to the complex code that drives your beating heart. I know you're against my… abominations… but I've warned you to withhold judgment until I unveiled my greatest achievement… you."

Eve's struggling ceased. For a moment Chung felt a wave of relief as the pain she suffered had subsided… but an even greater fear filled him as the hand gripping his fell limp. The golden orbs faded into a pale amber as her head simply rolled to the side, motionless. She wasn't breathing.

"Eve…?" The Hamelian prince's voice trembled as one by one, Moby and Remy's headlights shut off and the heavy clang of each drone falling lifeless on the metal floor echoed through the empty halls.

"Eve…" he called again but received no response.

"No… No…" He held the lifeless body tightly against his as he waited for any sign of life, "No…. no, no, no,  _no!_ " She was gone.

"Add!" the prince screamed at the top of his lungs. He rose to his feet and started quickly down the path pointed out by Eve. The technophile didn't respond.

"Add you coward! Come out and fight me!" the guardian stormed through the hallway, eyes wild with murderous intent as he climbed up the spiral stairs to a single door. Turning the large handle, he pushed the door open and found himself at the ship's main deck.

"Add!" his voice boiled with anger as he spotted a man standing in the middle of the main floor. Clad in his white suit, and hands in his pockets he simply regarded the prince with a cocky grin.

"Traitor!" the wolf in his heart howled as he drew his revolvers. Not giving him the time to speak, the young prince unleashed his entire El reserves of magical bullets. The shots connected, tearing the man to shreds as his body ragdolled from the sheer amount of force being punched through his body.

Without sparing another moment's rest, the young man was upon him, cannon raised over his head as he brought it down on the lifeless body of his former comrade. Again and again, he pounded the man's face in until nothing but frayed nuts and bolts lay askew on the damaged Nasod that once held its master's hologram.

"My… how savage," Add's voice cackled behind him.

Again he drew his revolver, spinning around and planting a bullet into the man's forehead.

Again the hologram faded, leaving nothing but the frame of yet another Nasod.

"Are you going to come out and face me, coward?! Or are you going to keep sending your machines to do your bidding?!" Chung howled.

Another Add appeared behind him, and he spun around to see the man tapping his chin in thought, the cocky smile never leaving the technophile's lips.

"I think I'll go with option two."

"Go ahead! I'll destroy anything you throw at me. And when you can't hide behind your machines any longer, I'll rip your damned throat out!"

"Anything I throw at you, huh?" the technophile said with a smile. His dynamos projected a window for him and his fingers quickly tapped over a few keys. "I highly doubt that."

"Try me!" Chung pointed the revolvers at him.

Add nodded his head as he hummed an unsettling tune, the beat matching his fingers and accenting the ending as he hit the enter key.

The floor between the two burst upward sending a spray of wood and metal fragments everywhere. The prince shielded himself from the explosion and raised his guns once more to his new adversary.

As the dust settled, however, he could only stare in disbelief as the queen he once thought to be dead stood before him. Add chuckled as he motioned at the Nasod.

"Let's see how you fair against this one."

"E… Eve? I… thought you were-"

Chung was cut off as a flash of blue light in the Nasod's hands caught his attention. He quickly had to raise his cannon, shielding himself from the explosive disks as they connected in a blast of heat against his destroyer.

"Eve?! What are you doing?!" Chung shouted over his shield as the Nasod took a step towards him.

"Hmm… that was Mega Electron Ball," Add sat on his dynamo's projected field as he scrolled through a weapons selection window, "Ah, here's a classic!"

Moby and Remy flew to their mistress and generated a portal above her. Data flowed from the pocket dimension forming her weapon of choice.

"Atomic Blaster!" Add cheered. Before Chung had a chance to speak, he found himself having to duck and dive to avoid the rope of plasma rounds that were trained at their intended target. Slamming the cannon on the ground, the prince could do nothing but hide behind the vertical cover as the stream of hot plasma began to melt the weapon's chassis.

The blaster clicked empty and only then was Chung able to peek out from cover.

"Eve! Get a hold of yourself! It's me! Chung!"

"Oh! Here's a good one," Add laughed, "Hornet Stinger!"

Chung's eyes widened and he lifted his cannon, diving out of the way as the missile round sailed over his head, striking the ship's stairwell and boring a hole into the hull.

"Come, now, Prince Seiker, I thought you said you can handle anything I throw at you!" Add remarked as Eve stepped closer to Chung.

"Eve…" Chung rose to his feet and raised his hands defensively, "Eve, if you're in there, please… please… it's me! Chung… your friend."

Cyan eyes stared into golden orbs as she stopped in her tracks, catching both Add and Chung's attention.

She flicked her hair over her shoulder and without a word Moby and Remy slammed their bodies against him.

Add cackled madly at the onslaught as again and again, the little battering rams connected with his armor with enough force to bend the plates.

"Eve! Please! I'm not going to fight you!" the prince cried as he raised his arms defensively, backing himself into a corner at the edge of the ship's main deck.

"It's fruitless,  _your majesty_. She is under  _my_  control. But please, do try to get through to her. It's amusing watching you struggle!"

"Don't you recognize me, Eve? It's me! Chung! We've been friends for years-" Remy caught him by the chin, lifting the prince off his feet and sending him tumbling backward onto the ground.

The prince scrambled to his feet, heel hanging over the edge as he raised his hands defensively once more. Nothing but the ground far below waited for him. Chung turned his gaze once more to the Nasod as he gripped the revolvers and pointed it at Eve. His entire body screamed at him to pull the trigger, but the painful thump in his chest refused to let him do it. He couldn't. Not to her. The grip on his guns loosened as his arms fell limp to his sides.

"Eve…" he whispered. His eyes searched for the one he used to call his friend as he stared into the golden pools.

"What's this…?" Add paused at a particular option and thumbed through its description, "Full Generate mode: Queen's throne? Why does this use so much El…?" With a shrug, Add activated the program.

Standing only a few steps in front of the prince, Chung had to shield himself from the sudden burst of energy emanating from her. El flashed through her eyes as she stared at her hands. A bright blue aura engulfed her, as the wings floating behind her protruded outwards while sharp spines formed on her back. Holograms of gauges and meters monitored the queen's vitals. The most prominent one labeled "Exotic Code Corruption Progress" continued to tick upwards starting at one percent. Energy swirled around her and as the program completed taking physical form she turned her eyes back to Chung. He stared back at her, begging her to stop. She ignored his silent demands, closing the distance between them as if daring him to strike her.

A message in a bursting text animation popped up before her and she tilted her head curiously as she read through it: "Hello world! Full Generate mode initiated!"

For a moment, Eve stared at it as she tried to understand the purpose of such a useless display. And at that moment, she blinked, looking back at the prince that stood before her.

"Th… that's my…" Chung gasped, reaching for her and taking her by her arms with both hands. He gripped her tightly as he gently tried to shake some sense back into her.

"Eve! It's-" A sharp burst of pain filled his chest as he was caught in wide-eyed surprise in the middle of his sentence. He slowly looked down only to find a spear being driven into his chest by her black drone. Blood began to leak from the wound as Moby pushed it completely through him.

"My… that looks painful…" a voice taunted as Chung continued to hold on to Eve. Even after half the spear was driven through him, he clung on to the hope that she would somehow snap out of it.

"Though I must say I  _did_  warn you,  _your majesty_ ," Add chuckled, as his face appeared hovering over Eve's shoulder. He gently took a lock of her hair and brought it to his nostrils, breathing in her scent before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. With a simple motion of his hand, Eve raised hers and placed it on the prince's bleeding chest. The man garbed in white smiled at him, leaning ever closer as he whispered in a sinister snarl.

"If I can't have her… then I have no problem ripping her from your cold… dead… hands."

The Nasod pushed, freeing herself from the prince's grip and sending him into a freefall down to the war-scarred castle below. As the prince's consciousness left him, he took one last glimpse of the Nasod looking over the edge. Eve had always been difficult to read. But Chung's time with her had taught him so much. She did feel. She did have emotions. He grew to understand her like she grew to understand him. But the Nasod that drifted further and further away from him was different. As he fell from the Black Crow, the prince didn't know what she was feeling then. It should have been grief: the pained feeling of losing someone near and dear. But there was nothing. As Cyan eyes met with golden orbs one last time…

He saw nothing.


	24. The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when things have taken a turn for the worst...

The prince floated weightlessly within a seemingly endless black void. His body felt light but heavy at the same time. Every twitch and bend of his joints felt as if it required everything in him to move yet his limbs floated listlessly. It was strange: his limbs float about freely yet trying to move them on his own proved near impossible. It was as if his will was there but his strength wasn't. Was this death?

At some point Chung found himself standing amidst the void; the floor beneath him reflecting his image like still water. Looking up he found himself standing before a familiar figure. The person was a blur; a haze of concentrated fog. Looking at the reflection on the floor revealed a clearer picture. It was her; the last person to cross his mind before he sunk into this realm. It was Eve.

Returning his gaze to the blurry presence, only a golden pair of eyes were discernible among the haze of white, black, and pink. She was coaxing him; beckoning him over as if he were far away, yet he stood right in front of her.

"Eve?" he whispered, giving his all to will his muscles to reach for her.

"Chung?" the fog spoke in a combination of Eve and his mother's voice, "Chung? Where are you?"

She continued to wave at him and the prince could only manage to make his fingers twitch in his attempt to move to her.

"Chung?" the fog spoke again, "Where are you? I… I'm lost…"

The golden eyes stared right at him. Couldn't she see him?

"Eve, I'm right here-"

Pain filled his senses as his body was suddenly pushed backwards by a sharp force to his chest. Chung didn't have to look. The spear was driven deeper into his chest as the hazy silhouette gently placed its cold hand on his.

"Chung?" it spoke once more as he felt the spear withdraw. He fell back, "Chung, where are you? Please don't go."

"I'm… right here…" the guardian gurgled as he felt blood gush from his throat.

* * *

Chung's eyes flew open as he drew in a sharp breath while his body lurched upward in pain. It felt as if he was being stabbed in the chest once more as he experienced the physical and emotional agony of the moment once more. Yet as he stared above him, he saw nothing but a dark stone ceiling. The ground beneath him was solid and his body moved under his will once more. His head felt as if it were moments away from splitting open and the faint constant ring of a bell through the stone walls wasn't exactly helping. What was going on?

A female with short brown hair and bright green eyes looked back at him just as bewildered as he was. It was Useli.

"Roger! Look!" Leo's voice could be heard whispering within the room.

"He's alive? Holy shit," Roger's voice echoed in relief within the small stone room.

"He… he shouldn't be…" Useli mumbled in surprise.

"That's cus he's tough. He's been through worse. See? I told you it'd work," Roger said with a smug grin.

"But… the wound he suffered…" Useli continued, biting her lip as she stared at the young man's chest.

"What… what's going on?" Chung finally regained his bearings as he tried to sit up.

"Shh, calm down. Relax," Useli cooed, "I'm still unsure of the actual injuries you've sustained… You shouldn't even be conscious right now."

"You were flown in, kid," Roger said. Chung turned his head towards the voice and found the man sitting with his back against a familiar metal door. Next to him was Leo who peeked through the tiny barred window of the metal door. They were in the servant quarters where they once had Ara and Useli locked in. It was barred off from the inside and the man looked completely out of breath. The tall soldier continued.

"The fight's still going on outside," He motioned at Leo, "Was searching for Leo the entire time and end up finding him hiding under some half-dead guy's bed at the triage tent. Was dragging this coward's ass to our little hideout when all of a sudden this big ol' Hameling comes flying in from the sky carrying something in its mouth. It set it on the ground before it flew off to the stable and I come to investigate… Lo and behold I find your body just laying in a puddle of blood. Woulda left you for dead but…" Roger trailed off as he glanced at his right arm. It was only then that Chung noticed the strange off-color skin tone.

"High Commander would probably wring my neck if he found out I left an important asset to die. So the next thing I know I'm dragging your ass back to Useli. Thought you were dead, honestly. And I assumed the dragon was setting you aside to eat later."

Useli jumped in. "When I undid your armor we found a stab wound to your chest. You were bleeding pretty badly and you weren't responding… so I feared the worst."

Chung looked down at where the medic was motioning and noted the freshly scarred flesh right where his heart should be. It looked as if someone had tried to clog the hole with putty. The prince gingerly ran his hand over the scar. The fresh nerves that had rebuilt over the skin sent a sensation of pain akin to receiving a deep cut. So this was the elf's healing power. It wasn't perfect, but it certainly did its job. This also confirmed his fears. Eve stabbed him. She tried to kill him. The horrible pain he felt while he was unconscious must have been Useli putting him back together. Roger, who was watching the young man grumbled, catching his attention as the soldier motioned at his arm as well, giving him a knowing nod. The arm-which had been burnt black when he had last seen it- was now a sickly pink flesh color. He couldn't imagine the pain Roger had to go through getting his arm fixed like that.

"The half-elf said she couldn't help you if you were stabbed through the heart. Something about life force or whatever the hells. Says it'd kill you. I says you'd die anyways if she didn't do nothing," Roger added.

"He would have!" Useli protested.

"But he didn't."

"He didn't… because he wasn't stabbed through the heart."

The three men looked at her confused as the half-elf carefully examined the recent scar where the heart should have been. Chung winced in pain as she did so.

"That's not right, though," Leo argued, "The would is slightly to the left of the center of the chest. That's where his heart is." This only caused the medic to shake her head.

"It looked like he was stabbed there," Useli muttered, "But… my healing spell required barely any life force to fix his wound. Meaning whoever did this to you must have accidentally threaded their blade right between your heart and lungs. The only thing I had to fix were severed arteries, muscles, and rib bones. You're… unbelievably lucky, Chung."

"It was that Add guy, wasn't it?" Roger snorted, "I knew he wasn't good the second I laid eyes on him. Next time I see him, I'm gonna bust his skull in."

"Actually," Chung interjected, "It wasn't him… it was Eve."

No one in the room said a word as a mix of shock and confusion surfaced in each of their faces.

"Eve…?" Useli whispered, "A… are you sure?"

Chung nodded. "I was looking her right in the eye when she did it. She pushed me off the ship, too."

"That bitch!" Roger stood, "I can't believe it, but, you're right, kid. Nasods can't be trusted. Not for a second. That backstabbing, two-timing-"

"Roger… stop…" Chung mumbled, "She was under some kind of mind control."

"Look, Chung, I know you two have been getting a little close but I mean look what she's done to you," he said motioning at the scar.

The guardian sat up, touching the freshly scarred skin. Even the sensation was fresh in his mind, causing him to clench his hand into a fist. Something crumpled in his grip. Curiously, he looked at his free hand and found his mother's ribbon clutched in his palm. Bits of Eve's black cloth had been torn off with it. He must've pulled it off her… after she tried to kill him. Yet despite all that… he was alive. Even though he was stabbed right through the chest and sent in a free fall, he was alive. He stared at the Hamelian Blossom.

"I should've died…" Chung whispered, his eyes glazed over as he lost himself in thought.

"You were incredibly lucky it didn't kill you," the medic nodded.

"Or… maybe I wasn't lucky."

Useli and Roger looked at each other. The old soldier grumbled as this was the first time he had ever seen the prince at such a lost state.

"Kid," Roger sighed, "That's just how love is sometimes. When someone breaks your heart, you feel like nothing else matters in the wor-"

"No, Roger. I mean what she did to me wasn't luck. It was intentional."

"Well, obviously it was intentional. She meant to kill you!" Leo argued.

"But she didn't. Like Useli said: nothing vital was hit. Eve didn't mean to kill me… she meant to save me."

Roger's brow furrowed, "I ain't following what you're saying, kid…"

"Hold on, slow down," Leo muttered, "What exactly happened up there? You said Eve did this to you… why? Furthermore, why are you defending her after you clearly watched her do this to you?"

Chung sighed, shutting his eyes as he reluctantly recalled the memory of his assault on the ship.

"Add killed Eve. Or at least I thought he did. She was in so much pain when it happened and she just… stopped moving," he drew in a sharp breath as he remembered the chill that shook his whole body looking at Eve's lifeless form, "I thought she was dead, so I chased after him. Then, out of nowhere Eve comes back under his control. He did something to her. I tried reaching out to her, but, nothing seemed to bring her back to her senses…"

"So she's simply our enemy, now, huh? Damn…" Roger cursed under his breath, "To think those machines could be swayed so easily."

"I… Don't think she's our enemy. At least I'd like to think that she's not."

"Kid… you said it yourself. You couldn't snap her out of it."

"Well," Chung began, "I don't think I was able to snap her out of it but…"

"Do you think there's a way to bring her back?" Useli asked.

The prince shrugged, "I actually don't know much about what runs a Nasod but… see, she ignored all my attempts to reach her and attacked me relentlessly. It wasn't until Add activated one of her weapons programs-Full Generate Mode or something-when she… hesitated. It was only for a moment… shortly after, she stabbed me. If she intended to kill me, as Add willed it, she could have easily done so… yet, here I am, still alive."

"What if Useli's right, though?" Leo argued, "What if you were lucky?"

Chung shook his head.

"You saw her handle the Nasods that fell from the sky, right? All she needed was one spear to shut each of them down. And she did so by the dozens. She doesn't miss. Not by accident, at least."

"Chung, she could've taken your life," Useli warned, "How can you be so sure it's possible to save her?"

"I'm actually… not," the prince laughed weakly, looking at the ribbon still clutched in his hand, "But for her… I'm willing to hold on to that hope."

Roger clearly didn't like the idea and neither did Leo, but the shine in the medic's eyes clearly exposed the romantic in her.

"You'll find a way to save her," Useli smiled, "I know you will."

"That's all fine and dandy," Roger grumbled, "But how about focusing on getting out of here in one piece, first? We're not exactly ready to send prince charming to rescue the princess right now. If he's good to go, doc, we should figure out what to do with the fighting going on outside."

The soldiers kept their ear to the door while Useli gave the prince one last checkup before giving him the green light. Chung checked his belongings and found his revolvers were still holstered but his destroyer was nowhere in sight.

"Your cannon wasn't with you when we dragged you in," Leo said, still keeping his eye through the door's tiny window, "Reckon it fell somewhere else outside the castle."

"Great," Chung sighed, "I'll just make do with the Silver Shooters for now." He stared at the tall soldier who had his ear pressed against the door.

"How're you doing, Roger?"

"What?" the tall soldier glanced at his own recent injury, "You mean my arm? Feels great. Like the bottom of a newborn baby. You ready to go, or what?"

"What's the plan?"

"If you're real quiet, you can hear that bell…" Leo whispered, placing a finger over his lips. They all fell silent as they listened. The heavy rumble of battle reverberated softly through the stony walls and the cries of war accompanied it. But, fine-tuning their ears, they were able to pick up the soft clang of a bell. Sure enough, amidst the battle that continued above ground, the distinct consistent tone of a bell rang.

"That's been going off for a while," the prince commented as Roger carefully opened the door and checked down either side of the hall before motioning them to follow him out, "What's it mean?"

"Hell if I know," the tall soldier shrugged.

"That's the signal for retreat," the youngest of the group grimaced, "It's been going since that dragon flew you in."

"Retreat…?" Chung clearly didn't like the sound of it.

Leo nodded, "I'm surprised you didn't know that, Roger. It's in our soldier's handbook."

Roger merely snorted at the comment and Leo ignored him as he explained the details, "A full retreat. Back to the waterway. Protocol states that the injured must be safely loaded onto the wagons first by a designated squad while the rest are to hold off the attackers until they finish. Unfortunately… there are so many injured soldiers that it's taking much longer to make sure they're all accounted for."

"And you know all this, because…" Roger mumbled.

"Because… I was hiding in the triage tent and overheard the evacuation team."

"So we're abandoning Hamel Castle?" It felt surreal. After making it this far in the campaign, they were forced to pull out? He knew the retreat was the wisest choice given the situation, but he never felt so dispirited knowing that, after all they've done, after all the blood that was shed and lives that were lost, this was the best they could do.

His thoughts immediately fell on Elsword. His best friend was still in a coma and he wondered if he had been safely moved out of the castle by then. Rena, Aisha, Elesis, and Raven were still fighting out there, as well. He hoped they were okay.

"C'mon," Chung said, "Let's help the evacuation. The faster we get this done, the sooner everyone can get out of here."

* * *

Striders were weak near their leg joints. A few well-placed shots of his revolver cracked the hardened scales and a final shot pierced the armor, shattering the El shard within the demon and causing it to fall over lifeless.

Crushers, however, were weak at their torso. With little armor to protect them, Chung's shots found their mark, hitting the sweet spot on two crushers simultaneously near their shoulder joint. They fell back with a loud roar as more soldiers carrying stretchers ran past the disintegrating demon corpses.

The loud boom of artillery cannons shook the ruined castle as the damaged Black Crow continued shelling the countless monsters on the other side of the wall. It relieved the prince to know that the airship was still functional though at the same time pained him to know that up there, somewhere, Eve was under that maniac's control. But he couldn't think of that now; not while an even larger threat had the Velder Army's attention.

The gate that separated the castle from the horde of hellspawns was completely destroyed and the monsters were pouring in by the dozens. No longer were the archers focused on controlling the numbers outside but rather directing their fire inward towards the funnel of beasts. Meteors and chains of lightning were brought upon the seemingly endless masses yet many bled through the magical assault. Elesis and Raven, as well as the remaining Red Knights were the castle's first line of defense, cutting down swaths of surviving demons while the rest of the soldiers, tried to pick at the stragglers. Runes of fire and ice burst to life as each of the Red Knights expertly marked and cut their way through each advancing enemy. It was utter chaos yet despite their defense, many black-scaled beasts managed to blow past their ranks.

"Is that all of them?" Chung shouted over the clash of steel and claw. By himself, he must have taken down at least thirty of these monsters targeting the evacuation party. Looking at the progress, however, the injured were all gathered at the broken eastern wall rather than loaded on the carts. Elsword was among them.

"What's the holdup?!" Chung shouted as soldiers from the evacuation team seemed to be at a loss for what to do.

"We don't have enough birds for our wagons!" A soldier said.

"All available carts are full. We can't fit anyone else!"

The prince cursed under his breath as he looked around for other options. As the evacuation team had explained, there were many supply wagons and only a handful of birds available to pull them. The longer this took, the more lives fall to the demon scourge. Leaving the injured was an option he was never going to take.

A roar caught his attention as he turned his eyes to the sky once more. A pair of Hamelings flew in. With a deep breath, a wave of freezing air carpeted the demons pouring through the gate, freezing them in place in a heavy icy mist. They were helping the Velder troops! Or rather, they were simply attacking the demons. Regardless, it was good to know the Hamelings were still around.

Searching the sky, he saw the five remaining Hamelings circling the castle, freezing and swooping down to fend off the beasts. The largest of the flight came crashing down along the castle's inner walls, a crusher in its claws as it buried the demon in the rubble. With a deep breath, it unleashed a torrent of freezing air on the courtyard below, freezing the shadow defenders and walkers that had bled through the gate before leaping down and shattering their frozen bodies with its mighty tail.

"Hey!" the prince called, waving the Hameling down as it tore through the frozen demons. "Over here!"

The white dragon spun around, baring its fangs in a snarl before realizing it was the Hamelian. It snapped its jaws shut, its blue lizard-like eyes focusing on the prince as it breathed a chilly gust of wind at him.

"You stayed? I thought you'd be gone by now-"

The Hameling quickly advanced towards him, tilting its head in a questioning manner before lightly bumping his nuzzle on his chest. Chung felt a brief surge of pain and he winced, stepping back only to have the beast advance once more, repeating the action. It was confused.

"Oh… Useli did this. One of the medics in the Velder Army patched me up. I'm good, now."

The white dragon snorted in what Chung assumed was approval before it turned and spread its wings to take off once more.

"Wait!" Chung cried, stopping the dragon mid-leap, "I need you for something."

The beast turned to him then slowly turned its head towards the Black Crow high above. It looked down at Chung and slowly shook its head.

"No… it's not that. I… I know you don't exactly like the Velder soldiers but… I need you to help them."

The suggestion garnered a disapproving growl from the Hameling and Chung raised his arms to calm it.

"They're trying to reclaim our home! Without them, Senace is as good as gone. I know what they did to us before is unforgivable but we  _need_  them. All I ask is for you to help them this one time. Please."

The dragon growled as it stared at Chung. Mists of cold air escaped its nostrils as it seemed to challenge the prince's words yet the young man refused to move.

After a moment, it simply snorted before turning its back on him and taking to the skies once more. Whether it agreed to assist him or not was unclear at this point. The guardian watched it for several minutes as it circled the castle again before giving up and returning to assist with the defense.

He returned to the injured gathered at the broken wall. Many were still on stretchers while a few could only manage to walk with the help of crutches. He'd pull a wagon himself if he was forced to but even still there'd be many more that would be left behind.

A guttural bark caught his attention and to Chung's surprise, all five of the surviving Hamelings touched down before him with the largest leading the flight. It stood before Chung opening and closing its maw and tilting its head as if waiting for something. It only took the prince a moment.

"Evac team!" he shouted over his shoulder without losing eye contact with the white dragons before him, "Grab the extra wagons and load everyone up!"

* * *

"Is that the last of them?" one of the evac members shouted as the wagons were sent on their way. The largest of the Hamelings waited for the last of the injured to be loaded onto the cart it was strapped to.

"I don't know how you did it, kid," Roger mumbled, scratching the back of his head, "But we can finally get the rest of our guys out of here."

With the last of the bodies loaded, Useli and the remaining medics boarded the last cart out of there before the Hamelings were guided out of the courtyard. Once clear of the debris and other obstacles the dragons broke into a quick sprint to catch up with the rest of the caravan.

"Next step is to let the others know we're pulling out," Leo said as he wiped his forehead. Even though he wasn't much in actual combat, the young man's assistance in correctly fastening the harnesses on the Hamelings saved the rest of the evacuation team the headache.

"Chung, Roger, I'll go warn the guy ringing the bells of the situation. Give the men at the frontlines an early warning while I make my way up the castle's bell tower. They'd be the last to know apart from everyone else in the castle grounds."

With that, the three split up, with Chung and Roger making a mad dash to the opposite end of the massive castle grounds. With the injured fully evacuated, however, much of the army's non-combat personnel such as the blacksmiths and engineers were already in the process of leaving as well. The flood of redshirts squeezing through the destroyed western gate made it near impossible for Chung and Roger to push their way through.

Minutes must have passed as the two of them had to literally fight against the current of bodies trying to push their way out of the castle. Once cleared, however, the two men had to make their way to the other side of the castle's main building to where the fighting was most intense. Because the fighting was at the opposite end of the castle's main courtyard the men were relying solely on the bell's signal as a form of communication. For the men fighting, as long as the bell continued to sound the first phase of retreat, they had to hold the line without any idea of what was going on on the other side of the castle. Chung and Roger had to warn them. The earlier they pulled the soldiers out of there, the fewer lives they'd lose. The prince took to the walls while Roger set out to warn the men fighting on the ground.

As Chung ran along the wall, quickly informing the archers that they were to evacuate, he was finally able to see what went on just beyond the castle's grounds. Like rabid beasts, Chung only saw the frothing maw of thousands of walkers and crushers as they pushed their way into the small bottleneck at the gate. Striders that drew close enough to the wall simply leapt over the defensive barrier forcing the archers to turn their attention away to deal with them. For every ten demons that fell in at the choke, a soldier would be cut down as well. This would have been a phenomenal defense with an extra five thousand Velder troops to spare but with their forces dwindling, the call for retreat was absolutely necessary.

"Rena! Aisha!" the prince arrived at the point right above the breached southwestern gate.

"Chung!" Rena had to shout over the blasts of artillery shells that seemed to do little in reducing the enemy numbers, "Thank the gods! Where have you been? Where's Eve? We can barely hold them back as is! It's only a matter of time before-"

"We're pulling out, Rena. Everyone else is packed up and ready to leave. We have to go now!"

"Where's Eve?" Aisha asked as she manipulated a cyclone of flame at the gate entrance.

"I'll explain that later! Let the other men on the wall know. I'll help the effort on the ground."

Chung leapt off the wall, landing in the thick of the fighting as the endless black wave flooded through the castle gate. Without his destroyer, Chung's fighting strength was limited to his revolvers in close range. The prince fired into the line of incoming beasts, doing his best to strike the weak point of each demon. One by one they were cut down by the flood and it didn't take long for many to notice. A shadow walker spotted his white armor through the sea of black and it charged headlong into him, causing him to roll backwards. He quickly jumped back to his feet and raised his weapons to return fire. The walker was quickly upon him, however, slashing at him in a frenzy with its gleaming claws. A series of near fatal swipes as each claw scratched and cut at the young man's exposed head. Chung raised his gauntleted arm as the claw glanced off his armor. The prince countered with a solid punch to the beast's jaw, causing the walker to reel from the sheer strength of the Hamelian. Chung leapt back to avoid the beasts follow up swing, planting a bullet into the beast's weak point.

A screech came from behind him and he was immediately shoved forward as a Crusher stood over the prince, arms raised and ready to pummel him to death.

A burning blade pierced through its right shoulder and the creature's back arched in pain as its form disintegrated into a black mist. The attacker freed his blade from the disintegrating body Chung found himself staring up at Penensio, extending a helping hand to the downed prince.

"That was stupid of you jumping right into the thick of it," the High Commander said as he pulled the prince up off his feet. Before the prince had a chance to speak, Penensio gently pushed the prince aside before expertly thrusting his blade into a passing strider's leg joint. Placing his boot on the motionless flank he drew his blade and quickly embedded it into a walker's abdomen, and with an upward motion, the blade tore through the beast's torso in the same swing, bringing it down into the shoulder joint of a nearby crusher.

"Is there a reason why you're not on the wall with the other archers?" Penensio asked, without missing a beat on his swings. He cut through each of the demons like they were weeds and it was only then that this was the first time the prince had ever seen the High Commander fight other than the showdown he had with him. Each stroke of his blade, each rune he carved into the beasts' flesh was done so accurately and efficiently. Not a twitch of the man's muscle was wasted with every fluid move he made. Before Chung could even remember what he had come down here for, Penensio had already slain ten of them. And to think the prince had a chance fighting this man.

The alarm bell's droning call changed into a beat of twos, catching the High Commander's attention.

"The evacuation is done!" Chung said, shaking away the look of awe he held.

"That explains why some of my men are leaving," Penensio nodded as he took down another demon mid-sentence. He stopped and turned to the men behind him. "Red Knights! We're pulling out!"

The High Commander signaled at the wall and Rena, who was among the last to leave her post, nodded, taking a large swig of a mana elixir before raising her bow to the air. Raven dove into the front line with the Nasod core's spikes already embedded into his limbs and Elesis followed, blade sheathed in a plume of flame. Engaging his giga drive, the mercenary blinked through the flood of beasts, cutting them to ribbons while the Blazing Heart lit the earth ablaze before her.

Penensio laid a heavy hand on the prince's shoulder and motioned him to make a run for it. Looking back, the Red Knights, as well as the rest of the soldiers, were already on full retreat.

"Incoming!" Rena yelled over the cries of burning beasts as she loosed several dozen magical arrows into the sky. With her job done, she leapt from the wall, landing right next to Raven and giving him a tap on the shoulder signaling him to leave.

"Elesis let's go!" Raven called as the redhead wiped the sweat from her brow. Even after clearing out the bottleneck, the respite only lasted a few seconds as more demons continued to push their way through.

The arrows rained around the gate. Each arrow that struck the ground quickly took root, erupting into a sea of thorns behind the retreating Velder army. The vines grew in size eventually growing into a thick wall of spikes that spanned all the way to the castle's main building.

"That should hold them for few minutes… Everyone! Fall back! Shore up defenses at the waterway-"

A bright yellow beam sliced through the sky once more, striking the damaged Black Crow through its center and cutting clean through its aft. A series of booms could be heard as explosions tore through the inside of the ship. The entirety of the ship's starboard side engines was blown off, sending it spinning forward in a rapid descent from its eastern perch up in the clouds.

As the remainder of the El Search Party and the Red Knights left the western gate, the reality that the ship could crash into the castle started to sink in. Closer and closer it drew as they ran until Chung could distinctly make out the rivets that held the ship's skeleton together within the gaping hole in the ship's belly. The Velder troops still within the castle courtyard and all remaining non-combatants still pushing their way through the destroyed wall hit the dirt as the ship plowed through the upper half of the ruined western wall. Large blocks of bricks came raining down on those unfortunate enough to be standing too close, immediately crushing them.

It sailed over the tents, gently brushing against the red Velder flags that topped each one before slamming into the top half of the castle's main building. The tower that housed his room buckled under the force and the bell still sounding the alarm was drowned in the midst of the destruction before the bow of the still spinning ship sliced the tower in half. Even through the layers and layers of thick stone, the reinforced hull refused to give and the ship maintained its shape through its descent. Debris was flung in all directions as the ship finally cratered at the western wall in a dense cloud of dust.

Many of the Velder troops stood in utter disbelief as they watched their forward base literally crumble before their eyes while many others immediately moved to assist those caught under the fallen bricks.

"Leo!" Chung gasped as the top half of the belltower crumbled into dust in the distance before it was lost within the shroud. He had to find him!

The synchronized howl of demons pressing the invasion through the destroyed wall could be heard through the thick cloud. It was as if the fog of debris itself advanced on the remaining Velder troops with malicious intent.

"Run!" A soldier said through the cloud, "Run for your lives!"

The once orderly crowd pushing their way through the broken gate fell into a panic. Some of the men and women still trapped under the fallen rubble now had to deal with the sudden stampede of human bodies.

Among the stampede of red uniforms, a single white-armored individual stood against the current. Chung stared at the incoming wall of dust. Retreating wasn't an option. Not for him, at least. Despite losing their forward base… despite losing a relic of his childhood to a never-ending wave of demons, retreating wasn't an option. Not while Eve and Leo were lost somewhere within the veil of debris.

"Chung?!" A voice called after him as he pushed his way through the last of the soldiers and into the dust cloud.

Again the voice called for him. It sounded like Roger's. Drowned out by the screams of panic, the prince had no reason to look. Not while it was hard enough finding his way through the thick fog.

Footsteps… Four… Talons, actually. A strider. He stepped to the side, dodging an opened maw and quickly unloading three shots at its leg joint before continuing. With no cannon to use as a shield, he had to rely solely on his reaction time to dodge incoming attacks.

His gunfire definitely drew attention towards his direction as the heavy steps of larger demons seemed to move towards him. The prince couldn't stop there, though, and pressed on. Taking off in a sprint, the next opponent he ran into was a crusher with its arms wide out in a sweeping horizontal strike. With its shoulder joint exposed and with a clear shot, the threat was dealt with before it could crush him between its palms.

Two walkers and a defender, now- He should be within the thick of the horde. The defender emitted a heavy miasma powering the two demon escorts. Their heightened senses immediately zeroed the guardian's location and they advanced on him like bloodhounds through the fog.

The magical bullets that once pierced their hides ricocheted off them instead, forcing the prince to change tactics. Using the armguard of his armor, the prince parried away the first claw of the first incoming demon, pushing himself under the monster's arm and firing a shot upward at its less-armored shoulder joint before moving to duck under the second walker who flew right over him in an attempt to tackle him. Turning his attention back to the first who was still reeling from its damaged limb, he planted a bullet to the back of its knee joint causing it to fall over under its weight. Chung then turned to the second walker who was lower to the ground this time, aiming to catch him by the legs. This forced the prince to jump, which, he immediately found to be a mistake as a spike fired from the shadow defender in the back narrowly missed his head, drawing blood across his cheek as it whizzed by.

Returning fire mid-air proved worthless as the magical bullets dissipated within the thick miasma. He landed deciding instead to run headlong through the black mist and take on the defender itself. As he stepped through the second veil, it felt as if he were running through molasses. His steps slowed and he became discretely aware of how heavy his armor weighed on his body. Still, onward he pressed. As if he were trying to run submerged in water, Chung had to summon all his strength as he drew closer to the floating source of Dark El. It fired at him, forcing the young man to raise his arms in defense as spike after spike glanced off the prince's white armor.

It wasn't until Chung was within arms reach did he see the El powering the demon's vessel. Like a lone star twinkling in the night, the source of El could be seen beating within the uppermost fragment of its body. Chung drew his revolver, placed it on the rock demon's head and pulled the trigger. The miasma wasn't dense enough to stop it and, like glass, the demon's body shattered along with the El within its body.

The miasma dissipated and Chung realized how running through it made it feel like he was choking to death. He gasped for air as he fell to his knees. Never again would he run through the miasma. Not after that.

The guardian gripped his neck as he coughed up dust. He had to keep moving. One of the walkers would be on him at any moment-

Someone was standing before him. With his head still low to the ground, Chung could do nothing but stare at the slender black boot as the individual waited for the prince to get up.

Slowly, he turned his eyes upward, following up the sleek body and catching the locks of long white hair. A pair of demon horns rested at the crown of this person's skull. This wasn't Eve. The truth became apparent by a sinister laugh that escaped the individual lips.

"After all you've been through, prince, I'm amazed you're still alive. Tell me, young prince, are you lost? You seem to be going the wrong way."

The guardian gulped, as he felt the hair on his back stand on end. This person's voice was calm, yet he spoke in a way that caused Chung's body to scream at him to get up and run. The guardian was going to answer. He was going to say that his friend was caught at the other end of the castle and he would stop at nothing to save her… but the words were caught at his throat.

With a snap of his fingers, Chung was pushed by an invisible force as the thick clouds of dust were cleared in the immediate area surrounding them. Before him stood the individual who he had only seen once before. During the initial assault on the castle, this person left as soon as he and the others reached the castle's main building. His features were unlike any demon he had ever seen before-in fact, they were more human than anything else save for the armor, the horns, and the ash-colored skin. This must be Ara's brother. This must be Demon General Ran.

"I've lost two of my lieutenants to you and your little search party and frankly, I doubted you'd even last this long out here," Ran said with an unsettling smile. Every word he spoke shrouded the seething indignation he held. "But it's as the saying goes: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

A roar could be heard behind the prince and he spun around to see the second walker already standing over him with its arms wide and maw agape. Still on the ground, Chung could do nothing but raise his arms defensively. Before the demon could bite the prince's head off, however, the young man instead found himself staring up at a rain of black demon blood as a giant red disembodied claw cleaved the walker's head and most of its upper torso off. The guardian shut his eyes as the rain of blood died down before looking up again to see Ran, arm glowing a faint red, standing over the prince with his eyes filled with silent but seething rage as they remained locked on the lower half of the demon's body.

"Chung!" the familiar voice called once more. Both demon and prince turned their attention towards the edge of the clearing. Roger stepped through the veil with a handful of Velder soldiers as well as Penensio and his remaining five Red Knights.

"There you are, kid! Saw you running the wrong way and had to chase after you!"

"Get out of here!" Chung screamed, turning to the others, appalled that they even chose to follow him into the mist. The look on Roger's face was serious as he shook his head.

"Kid, you know I can't do that."

"You're supposed to be leaving the castle!"

"Not without you I'm not," the tall soldier replied.

Immediately all their blades were pointed at the Demon General.

"Ah, Commander Penensio… or is it High Commander Penensio, now?" the Demon General mocked, "You've certainly climbed the ranks since I've last seen you… Weren't you a captain when we last spoke? That was years ago."

"Seiker, get back. We'll take it from here," Penensio said, igniting his blade. The remaining five Red Knights all did the same as a ring of flame and red uniforms surrounded the demon and the prince.

"Come, now, Penensio… do you really think you can stop me with what is left of your army? Is this all of your Red Knights as well? Only four?"

"There's fi-" Penensio tried to correct him when suddenly, in a puff of smoke, Ran vanished before reappearing again at the center of the circle. It was fast. Only Chung caught a glimpse of it: a puff of smoke behind one of the men and a blindingly fast strike that rivaled Raven's. None of Velder troops saw what happened and it wasn't until one of the Red Knight's fell to the ground decapitated did everyone realize anything happened at all. The rest of the circle stepped back as Ran tilted his head back, drinking in the air around them.

"The hell just happened?" Roger's voice trembled, to him it looked as if Ran hadn't moved when one of their own dropped dead next to the soldier.

"Yes… your fear… delicious," Ran whispered with arms outstretched. He lowered his gaze back to his audience and found Chung slowly backing away from him. A smile crossed the demon's lips before he turned to the charging Red Knight already at the demon's side. As the blade was brought down upon him, the demon merely palmed the flaming sword away before ducking the follow up horizontal swing and catching the knight at the foot as he tried to kick him back. With a quick twist, Ran dislocated the knight's leg by the knee before spinning around to meet the second knight, sidestepping a sword thrust aimed at his torso. Wedging the still-burning blade under his arm, the demon landed a roundhouse kick to the knight's skull. The knight was sent rolling to the ground and with the same swift motion, the demon took the burning sword and used it to cleave the first knight in half at his hip.

Ran brushed the hair from his eyes as he threw the blood coated blade back at its original owner who was still in the process of shaking the dizziness from his head. The second Red Knight fell back, impaled by the sword as it nailed him to the ground and he gave a blood curdling scream as the hot metal gave off the distinct odor of burning flesh. He looked at the two Red Knights and their High Commander. None of the soldiers even dared to move. The demon's knowledge of martial arts made his counterattacks flowed so effortlessly, it was as if he were dancing. The circle took a step away from the demon. Each sword was raised defensively as Ran took a step towards them. Still at the general's feet, Chung backpedaled towards the others, garnering a sadistic laugh from the demon.

"Is there no one else with a death wish? No? But I'm right here! You've pursued me, and here I am, waiting for you to kill me."

Without another word, Penensio charged headlong towards the demon. With blade burning a hot white, the High Commander thrust the blade at the Demon General. Again, Ran sidestepped the thrust, but before he could counter, Penensio continued pushing, slamming his shoulder into the demon's gut. The High Commander pushed him away, with the last stroke of his finger finishing the ice rune inked on the demon's chest. With a clench of his fist, the rune activated, quickly freezing Ran's body in place.

Penensio spun around, winding up the swing of his sword before bringing it level with Ran's neck. The ice shattered and the demon's glowing red arm met with the blade's edge, stopping it in its tracks. A powerful gust of decompressing air from sheer cold meeting intense heat exploded from the two. Despite all this, Ran was smiling. The blade that struck his arm had cracked from the blow and Ran pushed it away, forcing Penensio to stumble back before a large disembodied claw tore straight through his armor, cutting the metal plate into ribbons as the claws dug through his skin. The High Commander fell back, clutching at the deep wounds on his chest as the remaining Red Knights stopped to catch their leader.

"You've been nothing but a thorn on my side, High Commander. You were like a weed refusing to leave my wonderful little garden: no matter how much I tried to encourage your forces to leave, you insisted on staying… with my two lieutenants dead, I felt a more direct intervention was necessary. You've forced my hand."

Penensio could do nothing but watch as Ran slowly swept his glowing red hand in a half circle in front of him. Portals from another realm opened before their eyes as crushers and walkers stepped into their world.

"With the power of the Water El Stone you've all so kindly gifted me, my demon army can cross over to your realm at my beck and call."

"Seiker, get out of here," Penensio said, pulling Chung by his arm as he used the young man to stand, "I'll stall while you get the others to safety."

Ran smiled, "No, Penensio. By all means, please, run. All of you. I'll wait."

"I'm not running when the source of this kingdom's corruption is standing right before me!"

" _I'm_  the source?" the general could hardly contain his laughter, "This kingdom was corrupted long before I was summoned to this realm. I highly recommend that you head my warning, High Commander. For the sake of your men standing at your side," The general motioned at the others.

"Why are you letting us go…?" Penensio asked, the wounds on his chest bleeding profusely.

"Because, High Commander, we require more sustenance."

"Sustenance?"

"Demons feed off the emotions of your realm. It makes us stronger; bolsters our numbers. Anger, hatred, grief, lust… all part of the banquet that my kind feasts upon. I, however, prefer one type of emotion in particular: fear," he looked at each of the Velder soldiers' eyes and he seemed to drink in their expressions. He continued.

"I want you to go back to your pathetic empire across the sea. I want you to tell your leaders that you've failed them… And I want you to warn them that we're coming."

"And if I don't…?" Penensio growled.

"Then you die here and we attack a kingdom unaware of their impending doom," Ran grinned, "So, really, you have a choice. Die here 'in glory' and subject your homeland to an unforeseen demon invasion… or run like a coward and die with your nation when we reach your shores."

Ran folded his arms over his chest, a sinister grin across his face as he watched the High Commander drop his head. Chung already knew the answer. From his experience with the man, Penensio's choice was obvious. He had been presented with this choice multiple times throughout the campaign. When the demons flooded the Resiam and nearly pushed the troops out of the kingdom, Penensio refused. When Add took the entire castle grounds hostage and demanded that the army would surrender, the High Commander remained steadfast. And there it was: the fire reigniting in the man's eyes. His head shot back up to meet the demon's in an intense sneer.

Before he could answer, however, the crowd watched in wide-eyed confusion as a blade was driven clean through the demon's back. Ran arched backwards as his face contorted into an expression of extreme pain. Ran turned his head to find a tall soldier, teeth gritted as he hilted the silver blade he bought from Bethma into the demon's back.

"Run, Penensio!" Roger barked, dropping rank as he twisted the blade in the demon before planting a boot to Ran's back and withdrawing his blade, "I know what you're going to say, but, you don't stand a chance against this fucker-and neither does Velder if you don't warn them!"

"Roger!" Chung called moving to join the soldier only to have Penensio grip him by the arm.

Ran spun around, backhanding the man with such force it threw him off his feet.

"How… dare you!" Ran seethed as he approached the tall soldier. The earth burned at the demon's feet with each step. Another soldier threw himself on the demon but was quickly cut down by a swift swing of his claw. Two more joined the fray, then the remainder of Velder's army. Each and every one of them were thrown aside as he advanced on the soldier who had yet to get up. Roger pushed himself away, looking back at Chung and his High Commander.

"Your death here is pointless, High Commander!" Roger yelled as dark runes were etched on the very ground they walked on.

"You've sealed your fate, human! Witness my power and die in agony!" the demon general raised his hand. Slowly, every one of the attacking soldiers within the circle of runes began to float into the air. The men and women all screamed in panic and confusion as they rose higher and higher off the ground.

"Yes! Scream! Your fear fuels my power!"

"No!" Chung tried to pull himself free but the other Red Knights held him back as Penensio looked as if it took everything he had to turn and run from the scene.

"Warn Velder, Chung! Keep Pet safe! Please!"

"Roger!" Chung cried as he was pulled into the dust. Ten of them. There must have been ten soldiers that flew higher and higher into the air. His eyes remained locked onto one, however. His limbs flailed helplessly as he tried to find a way to get back to the ground. His figure faded into a blurry silhouette as Chung was forced deeper into the safety of the shroud. Yet Chung never lost his focus on the old soldier. Further and further the body drifted away and it was agony for the prince as he could do nothing but watch.

"Reverse Gravity!" Ran slammed his palm down, causing the runes on the earth to glow a bright purple. Through the thick dust, the prince only caught glimpses of the bodies as they plummeted from well over a hundred feet in the air. Chung couldn't breath. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest as he saw the silhouette of his friend rush to the waiting earth below. The unified scream of falling bodies all fell to a chilling silence as the end result was shrouded in the veil. He didn't need to see it. He already knew their fate. Strength left the guardian's body as his legs seemed to give. The Red Knight's at each of his sides could do nothing but pull Chung along.

The young prince was at a complete and utter loss. Noah's words, which he once regarded as an impossibility now mocked him relentlessly in his head. He couldn't save everyone. He wanted to-no, he believed he could. But no matter how much he believed he could save the others, one by one his friends slipped out of his grasp. First Julius, then Lyra, then Mud and Noah… now Eve, Leo, and… Roger. He had sworn to protect each and every one of them, yet each one fell… trying to protect him.


	25. Severing Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is lost. Their month's worth of progress had all been negated and the handful of soldiers that survived the slaughter had been forced to retreat. Beside himself from his failures, it appears the only reasonable move was to leave his kingdom once more.

They had been chased all the way down to the safety of the thick walls of the ancient waterway. After staving off the last of the pursuing striders, the gates were sealed and the Velder army could do nothing but count their losses in the light shower that poured over the open stone pathways.

"So... this is it, then?" Lowe stood before all of them. Apart from the blacksmiths and other non-combatants he counted less than fifty of the Velder's remaining able-bodied fighters and its last two Red Knights. Half of the injured soldiers as well as less than a hundred non-combatants have survived the strider attacks. "Don't think I've ever seen non-combatants surpass troops in numbers before."

"Sargeant," Penensio gripped his subordinate tightly by his shoulder and shook his head before turning his attention to the few still left under his command.

"Three days," the High Commander began, "That's our deadline to get out of here. We don't have time to honor the fallen but… we'll manage something small over the next few days at least. Our focus, however, should be getting ships built. We have the manpower and the waterway has the forests nearby for resources. I need a number of small boats that can carry all of us and nothing else except the absolute necessities."

The order brought about a number of uncertain whispers from the remaining troops.

"Three days to accommodate for as much of us as possible. If there isn't enough room, we fit as much as we can. We have to get out of here now that we've been given the chance to do so and we will not wait to find out how large of a window we actually have. I want round the clock watch of our borders. 20 hour shifts. Report to your squad leaders for your assignment. You have your orders. Let's all get home in one piece."

The army dispersed, leaving Penensio, Lowe, and Denka to discuss their overall situation.

"Less than fifty men per shift won't be enough to stave off another attack if and when it happens, High Commander," Lowe advised.

"I'll leave the recruitment of militia to you, then, Sargeant," Penensio sighed, "but no more than ten. We need those ships done as soon as possible."

"Ten…? High Commander that's hardly en-"

"Anymore and we definitely won't have enough ships to sail us back to safer territory."

"What about the El Search Party?" Denka suggested, looking around the crowd of Velder troops, "Don't forget we have them at our disposal."

"What's left of them at least…" Lowe commented before flagging down Rena who was easily spotted in her green uniform among the crowd of red. The otter-man called after her.

"Ah! Night Watcher! Over here! A moment of your time, please."

The elf approached them, her head was slightly tilted to the side as her sensitive ears twitched at the sound of distant rain.

"What is it, Denka? Need me for something?" Despite the general unease of the situation, her voice was still as lighthearted as ever.

"Gather the rest of your party. We're currently trying to get a headcount of our available forces."

"I was actually looking for Chung. I haven't seen him since we fled the castle. Raven and Aisha are currently helping set up the new triage tent before the rain hits us and I think Elesis is helping move the injured."

"Gather your party," Lowe ordered, "There should be enough hands tending to the injured. We need as many troops watching the walls as possible."

The elf nodded, "Got it! Give me a few minutes to find Chung." She turned to leave, her long, flowing, hair whipping at the gust of wind.

"Quickly, please," Denka added, "Time is of the essence."

Rena spent a good deal of time searching through the hastily established camp for the Hamelian. Corpses of demons and Velder troops from the previous battle more than a month ago still littered the ancient stone grounds. Many of the bodies were haphazardly pushed aside to make room for hastily built workshops that consisted of nothing more than a workbench and a tent to keep out the approaching showers.

Chung wasn't among the engineers and the blacksmiths. Four of the five Hamelings were spotted at the far end of the site. He wasn't with the beasts and they seemed to have separated themselves from the Velder army. After completing their job of pulling the wagons, the Hamelings opted to remain on the opposite end of the waterway complex where they watched the horizon. He wasn't with the alchemists nor was he with the medics tending to the wounded. He wasn't keeping watch atop the high stone walls either. She even glanced over the charred and barren land between the waterway and the distant castle in the horizon, keen eyes scanning the wreckage for a body garbed in white. Nothing. The prince was nowhere to be found.

The only place she hadn't searched was the vast underground network. But she knew nothing of the maze nor did she find any feasible reason for him to go down there, unless…

Rena made her way through the complex's inner gates towards the waterway's giant elevator deep within the many layers of the waterway. Eventually, the elf found herself at the edge of a giant circular water reservoir with a large bridge leading to the elevator at the area's middle. Remnants of previous battles scarred the area. Bodies floated in the still waters and blackened craters in the thick stone dotted the area. At its center, within the gentle pouring rain, was a the largest of the Hamelings, bowing towards the person she had been searching for. He sat before it, embracing the dragons head.

Her entrance garnered the beast's attention and it grunted at the prince before turning and taking off to join the rest of its flight.

Rena hurried around towards the bridge, crossing it to reach the young man. As she did so, her sharp eyes caught the subtle grimace of his lips and the tremble of his shoulders. He was in pain… but he didn't seem to have any apparent injury.

"There you are!" Rena said with an exasperated sigh, "Everyone's doing what they can to safely get us out of here while you're on your own sulking? Let's go. Denka and Lowe are looking for us"

The prince didn't say anything nor did he even acknowledge that she was there. Rena waited for only a few moments before speaking again. It was bad enough that she had to deal with Elsword and Aisha when they were moody.

"We don't have time for this, Chung. Penensio's given us three days to get out of here so everyone has to pull together to get the job done. I know it's hard to leave your home at this state but we need to. Staying here is a death sentence."

"Maybe… it's better I stay, then."

The elf's expression changed from one of confusion to that of anger. "What are you saying? Are you saying you'd rather die here than run away? That your life doesn't matter just because you can't have the place you grew up in?"

"Rena…"

"So is that it, then? You're going to leave us for good?" Her words visibly stung him and she continued with the pressure, "I've watched you grow from a child, frightened of anything and everything, to a young man who stood unflinching before an ancient bone dragon. You've closed the demon gates of Feita and brought man and machine together for the first time in hundreds of years… And now, you're telling me that you're going to stay here, in demon infested lands, because you deserve it? Why?"

"Because," Chung choked on his words as he struggled to speak, "I couldn't save them. I said I would… I did everything in my power to do what I thought was right… but..."

"Who?"

"Mud… Roger… Julius, Noah… Lyra, Leo, and… Eve. They're all gone."

"You're missing a few thousand names."

"Huh?"

"When we first arrived in Senace, we were nearly three thousand strong. Now we're down to just over a hundred troops. Brothers, sisters, friends, loved ones… all of them-don't they deserve at least an honorable mention?"

Chung couldn't argue against that.

"Eve may have been your lover but look at the men and women still alive to tell their story. How much have they lost? You have no right to be out here on your own when everyone else who suffered still do their part."

The prince gave a heavy sigh. It was only then did she see that the rain had been masking the fact that he had been crying. The elf's motherly instincts kicked in; her facial features softened and she knelt down, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Chung… Losing your closest friends is never easy. I know. I've lost more friends than I can count…"

He gave her a questioning look, clearly surprised by the way she opened up to him, which Rena returned with a sad shrug as she turned her eyes away from his. The elf's past had always been a close kept secret and he doubted even Raven knew much about her aside from her last few years before they met.

"I was only a youngling when the dark elves first opened the portal in Feita many years ago. We lost everything from the Bethma canyons to the forests that once bordered what is now Elder. I was there during the unrest between man and machine and I was there when that war came to a bitter end. I can't tell you how many friends I've had to say farewell to, but I can tell you how many family members."

The grip on Chung's shoulder tightened. He was listening now. This was one of the few times Rena has opened up to anyone.

"One father, a mother, three sisters, two lovers… a best friend… and two children."

The Hamelian blinked and stared at his comrade. The elf forced a smile on her lips. Chung never knew she had kids. But then again, she never really talked about her family before-though now he understood why.

"You had children? What… what happened to them?"

"War happened. And my inability to protect them-which was why I took up the bow in the first place: because I didn't want to lose any more if I could prevent it. Of course, by then I had no one else to watch over… Until I found all of you.

"My point is: even though all seems lost, as long as your heart is still beating, you still have a chance to make a difference for others. Losing loved ones is a reality that I wouldn't wish upon anyone, but that should never keep you from doing what you know is right. Simply waiting to die here helps no one and I hope you eventually come to realize that."

For a long moment, the young man took her words into consideration. As hard as it was to admit, dying here wasn't the best possible course of action; not when there was still something he could do. Looking back at his friends that gave their life for his sake, he would be wasting their sacrifice.

He felt the elf's callus hand gently run through his soaked hair from the rain that began to pour onto the war ravaged land. He looked into her sharp green eyes and couldn't help but nod to her words of wisdom. He would have asked for more about her past but he felt that the Night Watcher had already given away more information than she was comfortable with.

"You're right," Chung relented, "Sorry for being so… inconsiderate of the others." Even after the apology, however, the young man's face was still riddled with self-doubt. Still, Rena was glad to at least get him to speak.

"We'll worry about apologies later. I need to gather the others," Rena replied with a more sincere smile, "Oh, and do me a favor? If it gets brought up: we never had this talk."

"Understood," Chung replied, trying his best to mask the conflict that raged in his heart. He had to change the subject for now. "But… I'm curious… You said Eve and I were lovers. How'd you kn-"

"It was a hunch," Rena said as she lead the young prince back to the others, "I saw the way she looks at you, and your little fiasco when you tried to play matchmaker for her and Elsword. I watched you two standing at the balcony every now and then and you two genuinely looked as if you were starting to get along… It's a shame that your relationship with her never had a chance to grow. Which reminds me… what exactly happened during the attack?"

* * *

Chung explained the whole situation in detail to Rena on the walk back. The entire time, the expression on her face grew more and more concerned with every passing detail up to the point where the prince was thrown off the Black Crow. It brought light to his decision of running after the downed ship and what led to the death of many Velder troops, Roger included.

Rena, who had been fending off the demon invasion during this time, had no idea Chung and Eve even left the castle grounds to apprehend Add. She understood now why he was at such a broken state to begin with. His attempt to take control of the ship lead to the loss of so many more lives than he could have ever predicted. Despite this, though, she reassured him that, had he not done that, there was no telling what the outcome might have been.

By the time they found everyone, the triage tents had been set up and much of the staging grounds of their temporary base had been emptied as the majority of the workers had begun gathering resources from the nearby forest. Aisha and Raven were found carrying stretchers back and forth from the last cart while Elesis was already patrolling the outer walls.

Before the remainder of the El Search Party could meet with the sergeant and the advisor, however, one of the blacksmiths pulled Chung aside, saying that the matter was urgent. Reassuring the prince that they'd relay their assignment to him after, Chung was sent to follow the blacksmith to the far corner of the designated ship construction zone nearest to the shore.

There, he found the two female blacksmiths at Horatio's side. The old man looked to have just recently lost a leg as bloody bandages were tightly wrapped around the stump where his mid thigh would have been.

"What happened to you?" Chung asked as the old man looked to be struggling to even stay conscious.

"Rubble happened," Frida stated, "When the walls came crumbling down, this old fart was too slow to get out of the way. Had to amputate his leg to get him out."

"It's just a flesh wound," Horatio muttered weakly, "But that does not matter. Your majesty, our time here is running short. Without the precious Hamelian steel I cannot repair or upgrade your weapon after today."

He motioned at Syrel and Frida. They both nodded and hurried behind the hastily-built workshop's pile of scrap metal and wheeled out… his cannon! Or, at least, he thought it was his cannon. The weapon had a longer, sleeker design. Its frame was a polished black and white with a red El reserve tank near the cannon's handle. The blowback of his old cannon was instead replaced with a rather sinister looking bladed end and, as a personal touch to the weapons design, the words "For the good of the realm!" was etched along the cannon's side in Old Hamelian.

"This was a little pet project of mine. A gift, if you will, for our impending victory… though, given our situation, it appears I won't be alive to see Hamel back to the way it was," Horatio said, leaning against his workbench weakly, "The day our ships were destroyed by the monstrous wave, I knew something had to be done. I spent all of my research and every waking moment the following days completing this: my finest weapon ever crafted… and especially made for you, Prince Seiker."

"For… me?" Chung stared at the weapon resting on the trolley. He was humbled. Hamel's greatest blacksmith is entrusting his greatest work to him? He didn't deserve this.

"You deserve this, Prince Seiker. I have not seen anyone more deserving of my greatest creation than the prince who gives everything he has for his people. I know the path before us is dire but… even an old man like myself has to make sacrifices to help in any way possible."

The prince approached the cannon, picking it up and testing its weight. It was heavy; much more than his old cannon was. Yet as he gripped the handle, he could feel the weapon's inner machinery thrum to life from the proximity to a source of El.

"Its magazine is twice the size of your old cannon, and the modules I've attached should grant you more utility in the battlefield… should you one day learn of them. The strength you have now is but a fraction of a full grown Hamelian. My only hope, your highness, is that you may one day use the weapon to its fullest potential."

Before Chung could press him for questions, Horatio's strength left him, prompting the two blacksmiths to catch him before he fell off his chair. The prince rushed to his side, cradling the old man as he immediately felt for a pulse. He was alive, but he was very weak.

"Get a medic," Chung commanded as he laid Horatio on the ground gently. Frida ran off while Syrel remained at the blacksmith's side.

"We're in deep shit, now, aren't we?" the buxom female said as she knelt at Chung's side. Seeing her at close proximity, the prince noticed the heavy bags on the woman's eyes. "You better put that cannon to good use… I haven't slept in days helping this old bastard complete it."

"I'll try."

Frida returned with two medics in tow. Syrel looked at Chung, unsatisfied with his answer.

"And when we get out of this alive, I want-"

"Sorry, Syrel," Chung interrupted standing up and leaving the medics to take care of the unconscious blacksmith, "I'm not interested."

"I'll get you one day," Syrel reassured him.

"You can keep trying," Chung responded and left with his new cannon.

As the guardian searched for the El Search Party, he found it a bit uncomfortable slinging his cannon on his shoulder like he always had. The added weight of the weapon caused the handle to bite down on his shoulder bone. He'd have to figure out a way to more effectively sling it later.

After searching the staging grounds, Chung spotted Raven and the others gathering around the triage area. Elesis waved him over and as he approached, they all returned their attention to the Blade Master.

"Denka wants at least two of our ranged on watch at all times," Raven explained as he flipped over a pamphlet of the party's schedule, "That means with Rena, Aisha, and Chung available we can divide it into eighteen hour shifts, each, with a six hour break for all three of you."

"Eighteen hours?!" Aisha groaned.

"No whining. Elesis and I are frontline fighters and we have to somehow divide the schedule between the two of us. This is going to be a long three days. I'll leave it between you three to figure out who's doing what."

"I'll take the first shift," Chung said, raising his hand. This garnered a concerned looks from the rest of them.

"What?"

"You're not going to disappear on us again, are you?" Elesis asked, crossing her arms, "Last time you volunteered for a specific shift, we didn't see you for a month."

"I'm not going anywhere. I don't have anywhere to go."

"Right," Raven mumbled, clearly unconvinced, "Aisha, Rena: either of you wanna make sure he keeps his word?"

Both of the girls looked at each other and Aisha shrugged with a sigh, "I'll do it. Rena, you have the sharpest eyes out of all of us. Get some rest first so you can freshen up for your shift."

* * *

"And of course, it all boils down to the shift of power between the two nations that created what is now known as the Sander Armistice- which is still in effect and has been for nearly three decades."

The mage finished her lecture on world history and waited, staring at the back of Chung's head for a long moment as he stared at the distant ruins of his home.

"If you have any questions feel free to ask."

Saying nothing, the young man shifted from one leg to another.

"Do… you see anything the others should know about?"

Again, nothing.

"You're really not going to talk to me anymore, are you?" Aisha was clearly upset with the prince who had yet to say a word to her for the entire six hours they have patrolled the walls together.

"Are you really that upset with me? That I… helped set you and Eve up? Call it manipulation, call it my way of… removing my competition for Elsword but for once I am not pulling the strings for my personal benefit. I genuinely wanted you to find someone who could return your feelings… because you wouldn't find that someone in me. There are far more important things to worry about but if you're  _this_ hung up over an assumption that  _isn't_ true then I honestly don't know what else to say."

She waited for him to speak. He turned and walked past her, making his way to the stairs that led down to the staging area.

"Chung?" The mage gritted her teeth and chased after him, grabbing him by his forearm and stopping him in his tracks. "Chung! Stop this… please. What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? I don't want this… we're friends… aren't we? What can I do to make it up to you?"

The guardian stopped, turning to look her in her pleading, desperate eyes. His gaze fell and he sighed, slowly nodding his head.

"You are my friend," he said, voice rough from prolonged silence, "and, as a friend, I have a simple request."

Aisha leaned closer, eyes hopeful for anything she could do to help.

"Stop trying to help me and leave me alone."

Chung descended the stairs, leaving Aisha speechless. He passed Rena who turned to him as he descended the stairs and the elf glanced back and forth between the two of them.

"So Chung's swapping out? Anything to report?"

"No… not really," Aisha muttered.

"Is everything… okay?" Rena asked.

"Everything's just peachy," was Chungs reply.

"I see," the elf was clearly not convinced, "Aisha?"

The young woman hesitated. Chung assumed the elf was giving her that particular look. As he reached the bottom of the steps he could just barely hear the girls whispering to each other afterwards.

"It's nothing really…"

"Aisha… you can tell me."

"Well…"

* * *

Chung couldn't sleep. For the five hours he spent trying to give his body the rest it needed, his mind was clouded in conflict. To leave this land-his home-after sacrificing so much to reclaim it was a reality he couldn't accept. The hours he spent staring off at the distant castle grounds only reminded him of his failure. It reminded him of the lives lost. It reminded him of the day he was forced to flee his home when he was but a child. He couldn't bear the thought of being forced out a second time.

And now he found himself at the bedside of his best friend who had yet to wake from his coma. He was in the critical ward. The few soldiers that were placed there were unconscious as well and unable to receive Useli's healing. Chung sat with his head lowered, clutching Elsword's hand.

"Long time no see," Chung whispered, realizing this was the first time he had visited his friend since he carried Elswords broken body back to the castle.

"I don't know if… you are aware of what's going on or whether you can… hear what has been happening around you but… if you can, I want you to know that we lost. The demons came back after letting us borrow the castle and our reinforcements were completely wiped out in one fell swoop.

"We're back at the waterway… I find it ironic, really, to be back at the place where you found me at the brink of death after you defeated Victor… and everyone is planning to retreat. As in… go back to Velder and await the impending demon invasion. Well… Everyone but me."

The prince shook his head, swallowing hard as he tried to find the words. To explain himself.

"Eve is gone. Add is, too. I have seen the Demon General's power up close and it was... frightening. He feeds on our fear. It gives him powers that are stronger than any demon we have ever faced. With the El stone in his possession, he has access to his entire army at the wave of his fingers. Can you imagine how powerful he would be when he sails across the sea to meet an empire anticipating his arrival? He would be unstoppable. Elrios… would be doomed.

"I can't let that happen. Not when we were so close. Not when my father could be alive somewhere in this kingdom. I know you wouldn't either. You'd charge in, sword in hand with no care in the world but the safety of your friends and family. Some say younger siblings imitate their older brothers and sisters because they look up to them. You can say I've learned through your example, as well… or at least… tried."

Chung sighed, looking at the young man's sleeping face. His eyes welled.

"How do you do it, Els? How is it that everything you do comes out better than expected? You were there to save me that night near Ruben when the giant demon nearly swallowed Eve and I whole… you were there to kill Victor moments before he was able to crush me into nothing… you were there to save Eve from Barbosse's hammer and you protected Aisha from the rain of artillery… sacrificing yourself for her wellbeing.

"I tried, Elsword. I tried to do the same. I tried to be that hero that you so naturally seem to be… yet here I am, unharmed, thanks to the friends who sacrificed themselves to protect me. What am I doing wrong?"

His friend remained unmoved as expected. Of course he wasn't going to answer. Elsword had suffered enough and it was selfish of Chung to be dumping his problems on his friend after what he has been through. No. This was something Chung had to handle alone.

"I'm going after Ran. And if I don't ret-," he caught himself as reality refused to let him get carried away, "I'm not… coming back. Not when Ran is at his weakest. I really wanted to bid you a proper farewell but… this is the best I can manage."

He leaned forward, embracing his best friend.

"If you can hear me… just let the others know that I wish them well and that I fought with all my being… because that's what guardians do."

The young prince stood, shouldering his new cannon as he turned to his friend one final time.

"Goodbye."

Chung fled the tent, letting his legs carry him all the while ignoring that little voice in his head telling him to stop. He knew it was now or never the moment he snagged two healing elixirs from the alchemist's tent before they realized they were gone. He passed the many thick stone gates, travelling to the opposite end of the waterway complex where he was beyond the watchful eyes of the patrolling Velder troops. There, waiting patiently for him, was the largest Hameling. It looked at him, tilting its head curiously as he approached.

"Irim," the guardian said as the dragon flicked its forked tongue at him in response to hearing its given name, "I've made my decision… no more hesitation. I'm doing it. Take me to Ran."

The dragon nodded, dipping its head low and allowing the guardian to mount it. It grunted at him as Chung settled in place and the prince gave it a reassuring pat on its neck.

"Try and stay out of sight. Especially from the elf. No one else knows I'm leaving so stick to the cliff edge at the fallen bridge and hug it all the way till we reach the castle ruins… and yes. I'm sure this is what I want to do."

Irim gave a low guttural grunt before snaking its way to the wall and scaling up and over it using its razor sharp claws. It crested the top, giving the prince a brief moment to reconsider before the young man simply dug his heels into the dragons side.

"Let's go."


	26. The Halls of Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alone and with no risk of involving anyone else, the prince sets out on a journey to find and eliminate the demon general. He knew this was a suicide mission but retreating to the other side of the ocean would only ensure the demon general's victory in the near future. Expecting resistance to number in the thousands, the prince carries on, fully aware that this is the last thing he will ever do.

Minutes of clawing his way along the cliff's edge passed before Irim took flight. Without a saddle, the prince had to hang on for dear life with his arms wrapped around its neck. The heavy rain only made keeping his grip that much more difficult. Keeping just above the surface of the water, it would be impossible for even Rena's keen eyesight to pick up a white Hameling among the white seaspray at night. The dragon gained altitude only when they reached the castle's still-smouldering grounds. Cresting the cliff edge and circling the wreckage, the dragon and the prince stayed long enough to quickly scour the ruins.

It didn't look good. Chung could make out bits and pieces of the Black Crow, scanning through the dense layers of rain and ignoring the thousands of demons that infested the land below. It was in ruins and only the upper half of the destroyed ship was recognizable among the wreckage. If Add and Eve had survived the crash, which was highly unlikely at this point, that they would need to have made it out undetected with the swarm of hellspawn that covered the area.

Eve. The thought of her falling into that technophile's clutches, and then sent crashing to through the castle was a send off he could never see coming. He never even had a chance to grieve for her. It pained him, now that he flew over her grave, to know that he'd lose her, even more so after what they've been through together. He had learned so much about her and she so much about him. The fleeting moments of comfort they sought in each other's company were gone. He only wished he would have known of her fate to make their final night together more meaningful than what it was.

"C'mon, Irim," the prince said, patting the dragon on its neck, "I… don't think they made it. Just take me to Ran. That monster will pay for what he's done. I'll make sure of it."

Still in flight, the dragon hung its head low, flicking its tongue several times as it searched for their target's scent. Surprisingly, it didn't take long and the Hameling quickly took off not towards the ruined castle building, but towards the Halls of Water at the other end of the bay.

Rain matted Chung's face as they raced through the cover of clouds towards a massive elaborately built structure sitting along the sheer cliff face in the distance. Shrouded by the thick layers of rainfall, it was difficult to see from the castle ruins. Built right at the cliff's edge, the structure, made almost entirely out of white marble, resembled a grand cathedral. Its needle-like spires, each represented the primal elemental stones that held their world together, pierced the heavens. Each of one of them towered well over a hundred feet with the largest at the center: the spire of water. Its height alone nearly doubling that of the others. Like an iceberg, these spires were only a piece of the enormous structure that continued downward along the cliff and well below sea level like a pyramid buried under gravel and water. Several water ducts dotted the structure's cliff side, emptying into the ocean.

As Chung drew closer he noticed the ducts, which once produced the blessed waters that healed the sick and fattened the marine life, now only vomited blackened brine. This cursed water was what allowed the demons to flood Resiam and it's the same water that mutated their marine life, turning even the once docile coral serpent into a monstrous ship-swallowing beast.

Irim grunted, nodding his head towards the cathedral. War had ravaged the building to the point where three of the six spires looked ready to fall. Holes had been punched throughout the structure's frame and the grand stairway that led up to the gigantic entrance was littered with the corpses of paladins long past.

It was strange. In his memories, before he was forced to leave the castle, the remainder of Hamel's military had been focused around the castle. Why, then, had he not seen a single paladin within the castle when they first stormed it? This was the first time he had seen the fallen knights during his entire campaign… what were they all doing here at the entrance of the Halls of Water?

The grand entrance to the halls: a huge metal door engraved with the kingdom's flower stood ajar with nothing but darkness beyond. Strangely enough, not a single demon could be seen guarding the entrance. Not a single living demon, at least. As Irim descended to the steps, Chung could see, in detail, the corpses of several demons among the bodies of long-dead Hamel Knights. Fresh corpses.

The Demon General, Ran, had demonstrated his disregard for his own minions before by cleaving one in half, but before Chung were bodies numbering in the twenties. Dismounting Irim, the prince climbed the last few steps to the entrance and listened before peeking inside. The silence was unsettling. Staring into the void beyond the entrance increased this sense of dread.

A low bark caught his attention and he turned to the dragon who seemed to be waiting for a new command. Bringing the dragon with him, however, would be unwise. In his younger years, Chung had only been inside the Halls of Water twice: once for attending the anointing of the old high priestess and again to send his friend Sasha to undergo the harsh training as the new priestess. Although the actual layout of the complex was difficult to recall, what he had learned in those two visits was that, although the halls were unreasonably large for their purpose, they still would be a tight squeeze for a beast who relied on flight to maneuver.

"This might be where we part ways, Irim," he said, turning to the dragon and hugging the beast by its snout, "Wait, if you wish. But if I don't make it out alive, take the rest of your flight and flee this place. You don't have much of a future in this fallen kingdom."

Chung stepped back, regarding the beast once more before turning to the hall entrance. Leaning against the heavy metal door he gave it a good shove. The rusted hinges echoed throughout the hollow room as the door groaned open. Lightning flashed behind the prince and, for a brief moment, he was greeted with the macabre scene of dozens of dead demons strewn throughout the room. White marble shined a sickly black as the entire room was filled with the foul stench of demon blood.

Not a thing stirred as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the entrance hall. In the distance was a vertical line of faint blue light akin to that of the power of El. Recalling what he could about the Halls of Water's layout, the next room should be the building's public communion area. Smoke could be seen rising from several of the corpses and he very quickly grew aware of the scent of burning flesh. Whatever had been through here had done so recently. But who or what could have taken out all these beasts by itself? The obvious answer would be Ran, seeing as even Velder's best fighters would struggle against these numbers.

Chung glanced back over his shoulder at the dragon who still waited apprehensively at the grand stairway. With a simple nod, Chung bid the dragon farewell before drawing his revolvers and making his way into the halls.

The guardian treaded carefully over the bodies that littered his path, taking extra care to avoid each claw and tooth just in case. Following the faint blue light peeking through, apparently, another door that remained latched shut. Stepping closer, Chung carefully undid the latch, pulling it into the communion hall.

Blue light blinded him as he stepped through the doorway and he raised his hand to shield himself from the drastic shift of light. El shined within the magical braziers and candles that hung from the ceiling. Off-white marble decorated with carvings that told the tale of the Water Stone being gifted to man were portrayed between the large archways. A statue of the El Lady built with gold and platinum stood at the far end of the communion hall behind a rather grand altar. This altar sat atop a waterfall that emptied into a pool of blackened water. Seeing this hall after so many years almost shrouded the destruction that laid before him. Almost. Hundreds of destroyed pews were strewn about as if he stood at the wake of a cyclone. Just like the previous room, demon corpses littered the area, their bodies either bloodied or burned.

He traversed through the carnage, climbing over the piles of broken pews and bodies as he approached the altar. If Chung remembered correctly, behind the statue of the El Lady, there should be a lever-operated stone door that led deeper into the complex.

He stopped at the pool, disgusted by the black bile that poured from the waterfall. To think that this filth was once as transparent and fresh as the air they breathed. Now, it was clouded to the point that he couldn't see the bottom of the otherwise shallow pool.

A sound like a rush of electricity echoed throughout the communion hall and Chung spun around with revolvers raised and ready. Before him several patches of dark clouds appeared as energy rippled through them. They grew wider, wide enough for a man to step through. Through each of these ripples the prince could see a demon trying to claw its way through. Rifts were opening! Had he been discovered already?

The first of the shadow walkers stepped through the rift and quickly met their end through a rain of bullets. Two quickly took its place through the other rifts, then four, then twelve. Chung greeted each with enough firepower to bring them down, yet for each one he killed, several more quickly replaced them.

With each wave that poured through the portals, Chung was forced further and further up the stairs towards the altar. It didn't take long for him to be overrun as many began to flood up the other set of stairs to flank him. Holstering one of his revolvers, he gripped the heavy cannon on his back and slammed the two that were behind him with a horizontal sweeping strike, knocking them off the altar into the shallow pool below. With that same motion, the prince used the momentum of his swing to jam the bladed end of his cannon into the walker in front of him. He pulled the reload lever along with the swing before unleashing a cannon shot at the one behind him. So much stronger was the recoil of the cannon that the blast nearly sent him flying down the stairs to the waiting demons below. He caught himself, however, spinning the cannon around with the same recoil and pulling the lever once more before firing at the demons climbing up his set of stairs.

The cannonball punched a hole through the center of the walker, catching the one behind it at its shoulder and severing it from its right arm before detonating at the third behind it, the blast itself shook the room at its foundations. This cannon was a work of art and, in his head, Chung thanked Horatio for his efforts in making it, spinning to the nearest demon directly behind him, he placed a shot at its weak point. At that range, it was near impossible to miss and the walker gave a pained cry before collapsing in a plume of dust.

With the path temporarily cleared, he quickly made his way behind the large statue, hoping and praying his memory was right. Sure enough, the ancient lever-operated door stood closed before him. Chung hurried to it, pulling on the mechanism, causing a series of heavy mechanical gears to churn through the walls. The doorway opened upwards. Slowly.

He was surrounded.

With his back pressed against the wall, he quickly scanned the incoming threats: there must have been at least a hundred of them pouring out of the rifts below and they all funneled in towards him from either side of the grand statue of the El Lady. With a revolver in one hand and his cannon in the other, he could only do so much as he was. But he was much more than that.

Slamming his mighty destroyer on the ground, the advancing demons were suddenly pushed back by an explosive blast of pure El. Like flames that engulfed his entire being, his body began to glow a fantastic display of blue.

''Just until the door opens," the prince thought to himself, "I should have enough El to manage that''.

The door continued to slowly rise and was almost up to his knees. With his awakened inner fire controlling his body, he simply willed the El coursing through his veins and it moved him faster and more precise than his own muscles could. He brought down the bladed edge of his destroyer on the first incoming demon, slamming its upper half to the ground before quickly spinning around with a horizontal swing, cleaving the demon in half by its hips. The el shard embedded in it shattered from the sheer force of the blow and the demon exploded into ash, making way for the other walker right behind it. The revolver was already there to greet it as the shot punched through its eye. It lurched forward, shrieking in pain as it continued its charge. The prince side stepped it, dodging its claw by the hair on his neck as the beast collided with another at opposite side of the prince. He continued past that demon, raising his revolver arm and blocking a claw with his armor before smashing his forehead against the beast's head, causing it to reel back in pain. He wrapped his arm around the claw, pulling the beast forward and firing a shot at its weak point at the hip. The powerful round pierced through it and through the weak points of the other two behind it. Chung turned around, back to the previous demon missing an eye. Holstering his destroyer and drawing his second revolver, he unleashed a hail of bullets catching each demon as it rounded the large statue at the hip.

Behind him. He ducked, narrowly dodging a claw aimed at his head. Sweeping low, he quickly holstered his revolver and was back on his destroyer, once more, as he spun around in one fluid motion. The cannon swept the demon off its feet. In that moment, Chung grabbed the beast by its leg, swinging it around him once before flinging it back down the stairs with enough force to plow into several of the advancing horde. By then, he had already taken siege stance and had a fresh round loaded into the cannon. Bracing for recoil. The prince pulled the trigger. The cannonball punched through several of them before coming into contact with the hard marble wall, detonating in a deafening blue burst.

He spun around, checking the door and found it at waist level. Perfect.

With a swing of his cannon he smashed the lever before ducking under the still-opening door, entering what appeared to be a hallway with ocean-blue windows. Finding the gears operating the door, he smashed a cog, causing the heavy stone slab to suddenly fall shut with a loud crash.

The flames of the El surrounding him dissipated and he almost fell over with the weight of his cannon now being supported by his physical body. He could feel the El within him wane. Other than his first time using his awakened strength against Victor, this was the only time he really had a chance to use it. An incredible amount of his El reserve had been spent in those short moments. Incredible as it was in enhancing his strength, speed, and even his armor, if he wasn't able to completely control the outward flow of magical energy, he could quickly find himself without any at all. With the vanishing of his inner fire, he found himself quickly surrounded in darkness. Chung checked behind, making sure nothing had been waiting for him on the other side of the door before checking the strength of the barricade.

The frenzied claws scratching at the thick layer of rock was drowned out by the heavy storm that pummeled at the windows of this long dark hallway. A brief flash of lightning revealed that there was nothing before him but a dark passage at the far end of the marble hall. Another flash of lightning revealed another, more subtle detail dotting the white tiles trailing from where he stood to the passage ahead.

Blood. Chung kept his guard up, unsure if it belonged to a demon or otherwise. Black and red blood was difficult to discern in low light. Either way, whatever went through here before him was dangerous enough to wipe out an entire room full of demons by itself. Still, he had to press on.

Faint light filtered into the halls from the blue tinted windows. The rain pelted the glass, playing with the light filtering in, making the hall feel as if it were completely flooded with water. It was quiet. Eerily so. At the halfway point of the hallway, the scratching had been completely washed away by the storm. He almost wished for its company, as the uncertainty of what laid beyond made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

He had never traveled passed the communion hall as a child and everything here was new territory for him. Reaching the end of the hall, the dark passageway was, in fact, an open doorway that immediately turned to his right. The path, although dimly lit with faint blue lanterns of El, slowly descended downward, cutting into a ninety-degree turn left before continuing further to another left. And another, with each straightway longer than the last. Chung figured he must be descending the pyramid-shaped portion of the complex.

The small trail of blood continued along this descent. Each drop was much further apart, indicating they either tried to slow the bleeding or ran. The inner wall of the spiral was slowly cut away the deeper he traveled and he was eventually greeted with an amazing view of the lower complex and the sound of hundreds of gallons of rushing water.

Light flooded in the hallway revealing the rest of the spiral's path, ending at the first layer of the Hall of Water's sanctum. At the very center of this layer was the source of the light: a spire channeling cyan-colored light at its apex; the light of the El Stone of Water. From this apex, pure water was shot upward through four powerful jets that magically cascaded down the pyramid-shaped ceiling. Tightly packed stone buildings and columns filled the area the size of a large marketplace. These buildings were topped with a dome-shaped roof, many of which had an opened top to let the magical light filter in. From where he stood he could see the many functions of each building: a vast library, several rooms of worship, a mess hall, smaller quarters for servants, and more elaborate quarters designated to the priestess and other religious figures who once lived there.

Now, the buildings were filled with the bodies of warriors who lost their lives long ago. With the light source illuminating his path, he could very easily discern the drops of blood he had been following to be red. Non-demon. The prince hurried down the rest of the path, following the trail stopping at the gates of the first layer's iron gates. Its thick iron bars looked as if it had been blown open long ago and left to rust at the wake of the old remnants of Paladins and soldiers alike… Velder soldiers.

Stepping closer to the bones of the fallen, he investigated the remains, curious as to what the hell Velder soldiers were doing here. Had they pushed this far during the previous campaign to reclaim Hamel? He knew nothing about the aging of cadavers but the bodies looked as if they died around the same time the Hamel Paladins had. Now, the prince was confused. Whatever the reason, it appeared the Velder troops were fighting alongside the Hamel Paladins long ago.

And then he ran into his first civilian.

Clothed in a commoner's dress, the woman's bones clutching the remains of another, smaller body. Inside a building just past her, through a destroyed wooden door, were more civilians. Men, women, children; everyone who had been huddled in the castle all those years ago… they all came here… and died. Hundreds more littered this level; soldiers and civilians. He continued following the trail of blood among the pile of skeletons. It was a shame that even their combined strength wasn't enough to hold off the flood of hellspawn… which Chung noticed a distinct lack of in the area.

Fresh demon corpses dotted the area, but older bodies were nowhere to be seen. Only human casualties. The trail led to what appeared to be an elevator with the platform not at his was an operating lever to the right of the elevator gate. With a little bit of muscle and a loud echoing creak, the prince activated the heavy pulley system. Heavy chains clanged as gears began to turn.

Grinding. It was discrete at first. He brushed it off as the rumblings of the elevator lift. But the distinct sound of collapsing foundation put him on high alert. A larger, more pronounced tremor shook the stone floor beneath him. The tremor echoed through the shaft as an ear splitting crack. So strong was the force that half of the entire first level buckled from its own weight. The thick stone split under him and he quickly sidestepped it as rock burst from the fissure. The walls resonated with crumbling rock.

Turning his attention back to the way he came, he witnessed the first level's entrance separate itself from the upper passageway. The ground tilted at his feet as the far end began plummeting to the lower levels, bringing the prince with it. He had to get to stable ground. Looking back at the other end of the initial crack, he quickly found himself standing on the wrong half of the first level. The entire floor began to slide, pulling away from safety. The gap was widening with each fraction of a second. Without much time to think he steadied himself and prepared for a running leap.

The crumbling platform slammed into the outer wall, knocking Chung off balance and sending him in a roll downwards. The wall was destroyed by the impact, rock and cut stone burst through the sheer cliff side and the guardian was nearly sent rolling off the edge had there not been a wayward lamppost there to roll into at the very edge of the remaining platform. The prince hung on for dear life over the edge of the cliff where nothing but the black waters of Hamel Bay waited far below. Debris and bodies rolled past him as the floor continued to tilt. He held his breath as the platform seemed to slowly find its equilibrium and slowly, miraculously, the first level finally came to a rest.

Chung had to climb. The intense storm that soaked him to the bone only weakened his grip as he pulled himself up and onto the destroyed first level. Every curb of the sidewalk, every opened window and column was used as one misstep on the slippery stone surface could easily send him sliding down to the rocky waves below. Slow and steady he climbed, reaching dry ground as he pulled himself out of the rain.

The guardian reached the top of the fallen platform. Pulling himself over the edge, he rolled off of it and onto the more stable second platform, laying on his back with as he tried to catch his breath. He was alive. For now.

'But what caused the tremor,' he wondered. It sounded like some sort of grinding; a churning of rock. Whatever it was must have destroyed a key support column below him resulting in the upper floors crashing through the wall.

Raising his head and looking around, he found himself staring at a high ceiling several stories tall. Like the first level, there were stone buildings surrounding the central spire that emitted the El Stone's power. The level was wider and its internal structures were built higher. An entire city's population could take residence in these levels, which probably explained why the Hamelians sought refuge here.

After investigating his surroundings more thoroughly, he noted that several towers had been erected throughout the area, acting as magical fonts to draw from the central spire. The spire itself, however, was heavily damaged. At the very center of this level, embedded within the spire, was a broken glass chamber big enough to comfortably fit one person. This section of the spire was completely shattered and whatever had been stored there was no longer in sight.

"Hello?"

Chung shot up at the faint sound of a voice.

"Hello?" the voice called once more. It was female.

"Help!"

It was faint. Muffled. Distant, or at least sounded distant. The prince was on the move, listening for another cue and uncertain whether he should respond. Yes, there was someone calling for help, but if there were enemies nearby he dared not give away his position.

"Where… what's going on… hello? Is someone out there? Anyone?"

The voice sounded so familiar. He couldn't put a face with it but he felt a rush of hope as he hurried to locate the source.

A scream. It echoed through the ruins. Something was wrong.

"Help! It's… something is…"

The howl of a strider.

Chung followed the call. He was close. He found himself at the base of the spire. Rubble had piled around it and digging furiously at a particular mountain of stone was the four-legged beast.

"Hey!" Chung shouted, grabbing the demon's attention. It growled viciously, stepping away from the pile towards him. Behind the demon, through a small slit between the rocks, was a pair of eyes peeking at him.

The strider pounced on him only to connect itself with the upward swing of the destroyer. It was sent upwards, giving Chung the opportunity to quickly draw his revolvers. He fired upwards at the beast, the bullets tore through its upper torso as he searched for the sweet spot. It shrieked as the shard was struck and the demon dissolved into dust well before it hit the ground.

With the threat neutralized, the guardian hurried to the pile of rocks, to check on the survivor buried underneath.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, trying to find a rock he could pull out without risking the rest of the pile collapsing on the person trapped within.

"I think so. Bruised… but nothing broken, I think. But thank the goddess a paladin was still around to help… I honestly thought-"

"I'm no paladin, ma'am," Chung grunted as he tossed chunks of rock aside.

"But… you're carrying a paladin's weapon. And your fighting ability certainly surpasses that of a regular soldier," the young woman pointed out. He pulled more of the rock aside and the stone began to shift, falling off and finally setting the woman free.

She had trouble standing before him, and he had to catch her before she collapsed. She was wrapped in a blue cowl and dressed in a long white form-fitting dress. Medium length blue hair peeked out of her cowl and a band of gold decorated her forehead. She was slightly taller than Chung as most Hamelians were, but perhaps the most striking feature was the cyan eyes that looked back at him. He knew who this was.

"Were you harmed at all, priestess?" he asked, barely able to contain his sudden surge of emotion.

"I'll manage," the priestess said with a nod after quickly checking herself over. She then regarded the prince, tilting her head as a thought crossed her mind. "Do I… know you?"

A soft smile crossed the prince's face, "It's good to see you again, Sasha."

The priestess stared, wide eyed at the young man. He watched as her eyes scanned over the features of his face, the brown tips of his blond hair, the puppy-paw eyes. She threw herself on the prince, arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace.

"Chung… is it really… by the goddess, you're alive!" Sasha cried, burying her head on his shoulder, "I can't believe it… you're alive…"

She suddenly broke away from him, remembering her manners, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I mean… forgive me, your majesty. It's good to see you well."

Chung shook his head, "No need for the formalities, Sasha. I'm a prince of nothing, now. I'm undeserving of that title."

Sasha smiled, tilting her head, "You're right… I don't think I'd ever get used to calling you anything other than Chung."

"And I find it weird having to refer to you as 'High Priestess'," the guardian said. They stared at each other for a long moment before they both broke out in light laughter.

The priestess visibly loosened up as he brushed off her show of respect. She looked as if she had a million questions to ask, which was unfortunate because Chung felt the same.

"I… how long," she began, trying to get her bearings of her surroundings, "Is it just you?"

Chung nodded, "The Velder army is all the way at the other end of the bay right now, occupying the waterway."

"The… Velder army?" Sasha looked visibly worried at that, "Ugh… my head. What… happened?"

"The quick version is that the demons have taken over the entire kingdom. Velder has been running a campaign over the past few years to reclaim it and push the enemy out of the realm for good. It was working, to a point, little did everyone know, we were playing right into the Demon General's hand and now Velder is abandoning the kingdom altogether."

"And… you're here because?" Sasha asked, still confused by all this.

"Because it's my home. I wanted closure on what happened to my father and you can say this is my last ditch effort to make something good after all the bad that's happened."

"I'm sorry… but how long exactly have I been out?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question," Chung replied, "In fact, I'm surprised I even found someone still alive in this kingdom… How did you survive all this time alone in here?"

The question caused the priestess to bring her hand to her forehead as she tried to remember. "I really don't know. I was… uh… the last thing I remembered was… being told to 'protect them'."

"Protect them? By who?"

"Your father," Sasha said, trying her best to remember. The prince was silent at this news. "He said to me… 'Please keep them safe.' He was referring to the other civilians when everyone suddenly came rushing into the inner sanctum. I… remember being moved to a special chamber to channel the power of the Water Stone… and then… a nightmare."

"You mean that chamber up there?" the prince pointed up at the gap in the middle of the central spire.

"Yes… yes that's right!" Sasha replied, memory returning to her, "I was moved up there and was tasked with using the Water Stone to project a protective wall of ice that would freeze all entrances and exits. After that task was complete I was to deep freeze everyone within the sanctum, protecting us as well as the Water Stone. It was a last resort choice by your father. He believed that if we could prevent the demon invaders from reaching the stone, help would eventually arrive. It may not be soon, but the ice should be solid enough to protect everyone. But then…"

"Your nightmare?"

Sasha nodded.

"Once my physical vessel was frozen, I could only sense things through the flow of El coursing through me. The concept of time is strange when your physical body is not available to experience its surroundings, so for me it was like I was the current of energy itself. I did my job. I could feel the El of all the Hamelians as they fell into a deep sleep through the freeze but… something happened within the sanctum that I couldn't understand. Darkness. A small insignificant shadow within the bright flow of El. The shadow grew. I tried to fight it but no matter what I tried, I couldn't keep the darkness at bay. It swallowed the light until something… or someone appeared before me. I didn't have a physical body but these deep red eyes stared directly at me. The thing uttered three words to me… Never had I felt more frightened when it spoke."

"What'd it say?"

"It is done," Sasha hugged herself, visibly shaken from trying to remember, "Next thing I know, you're digging me out of rubble and… no one else is here."

"There were bodies at the upper level," Chung muttered, "More than I could count. They didn't look like they were frozen; more like they were running from something."

"That's… impossible. The Water Stone should have purged the demons from the building before freezing."

"No. They were killed by something. And to top it off, the barrier didn't work. The Demon General should be somewhere within this sanctum. He knew of my presence and, with the El Stone's help, created rifts to the other realm in an attempt to stop me."

"This Demon General you speak of… does he have red eyes as well?"

Chung nodded. "Demon General Ran has taken control of the entire complex. I'm here to hunt him down."

"It must have been him, then. He was the dark presence within my dream. I fought… so hard to keep him from controlling the El but he overpowered me," Sasha's eyes dropped at the realization and they were both quiet for some time.

"I'm sorry, Chung. I suppose that's what happens when a poorly trained individual is tasked with taking the mantle of 'high priestess'."

"You did what you could, Sasha. I'm glad you were able to hold him back for so long. There's no telling what would have happened if he had taken control of the El sooner."

Suddenly, Sasha's eyes lit up. "But… he doesn't have control of the El. Or at least not for long."

"What do you mean?"

"The power of the El Stones can only manifest through a conduit, someone tethered to its boundless energy. Only through those individuals can the raw power of an El Stone be used. I am that conduit. Without me, he is cut off from the endless energy… And if this Demon General isn't here, then he must not have realized it, yet."

"So then no more rifts?"

"I… don't think so. That or he has a supply of El and isn't aware of its limits."

The prince couldn't believe it. This could be it. This could be his time to strike back at the Demon General.

"Is there more of us, then?" Chung asked, "You said my father himself assigned this task to you, do you remember where he went? Maybe there are others who are still frozen around here."

"There might be," Sasha mumbled, not too sure of herself, "I remember the entire sanctum full to the brim with civilians. There must have been at least a thousand of us."

"Yet there are none in this level," Chung noted, looking around. He turned to Sasha, a gleam of hope in his eyes, "How many more levels are there? Maybe I can find survivors in there. Maybe my father's there, too!"

"There's two more levels," Sasha said, clutching her head weakly as she took a seat on the rubble, "But that's far below us… the Chamber of the Goddess. If they're not there… then they might have taken refuge further down, within the Temple of Trials."

"Got it. Once I secure the El stone I'll search for the others in the temple."

"By yourself?"

"There's no one else willing to help," Chung said with a shrug.

"Not even the ones who came before you?"

"Before me?"

"Before I awoke from my slumber, I sensed a new presence… Darkness tried to swallow this new source of light but deeper and deeper the presence delved. Next thing I know, the very foundation of the halls began to crumble, breaking me out of my stasis."

"There was a battle that took place before I arrived," Chung reported, "The demons that stood against whoever came through were decimated. Not without injuring the intruder, though. I've been following the trail ever since."

"They were injured?" Sasha replied, rising to her feet, "Then I must go, too."

The prince stopped her, shaking his head, "It's too dangerous to go down there."

"But I can heal them. The power of the Water El Stone allows me to heal all forms of injury no matter the severity."

"Ran wants to use you for that very reason. I'm not going to walk you to him when he doesn't even realize you're missing. No. You're going to get out of here while I search for the others below."

"But… how will I even get out of here?"

Chung pointed back towards the giant hole in the wall of the sanctum. "If you can make it safely outside without falling off the cliff, a Hameling should be there flying around. I told him to leave… but I doubt he'd listen to that order. He answers to 'Irim'. Call for him and he'll be there. Got it?"

Sasha hesitated as she looked between the prince and her exit.

"I know you want to help… but I can't risk your life. If you're gone, there won't be anyone around to remove the corruption from these waters. When you find Irim, tell him to take you to safety."

Slowly she nodded, "There's a lift to the lower levels located next to a balcony overlooking a grand spiral waterfall. It's a bit of a long ride but it should take you directly to the Chamber of the Goddess."

"Thanks," Chung said, turning from her as he made his way through the maze of stone buildings.

"And do come back in one piece," Sasha called after him.

It wasn't hard to locate the lift. Following the same trail of blood of the unknown invader as well as the growing sound of rushing water, he quickly found himself staring over the edge of the second level at a grand balcony built over a massive flowing river that spiraled downwards towards the lower levels. The balcony itself would have looked beautiful had it been maintained. The five years had worn the stone to the point where the balcony was quite literally hanging off of the mortar that held it together. The stone railing had moss growing on it as well to the point where some sections had been pushed off its setting by the plant life.

Sure enough, an elevator shaft was next to it with the platform at one the level below him. He pulled on the lever, causing the mechanism to jolt to life. The gears running the pulley system turned, yet the grinding was almost drowned out by the sound of rushing water beyond the railing. The elevator itself was huge. Easily large enough to carry forty people. While he waited, he wondered just how far down the shaft actually went. He almost didn't notice the arrow as it struck the lever, stopping the elevator in its tracks.

"You're not going anywhere, kid," a voice called over the flowing water. The voice was direct, commanding. It was a voice that belonged to someone who he hadn't seen in years… someone he had been dreading to run into since he first encountered her sentinels at the waterway reclamation mission.

Turning to the source, he was shocked to find the priestess standing a few feet away from him. She had her hands raised submissively as the gleam of a dagger was pressed at her throat. Behind her stood a dark-skinned elf with light pink hair. Only a single fierce red eye could be seen as half of her face was hidden behind Sasha as she shouldered her bow with her free hand.

"Step away from the lift," Chloe snarled as she watched his every move. The elf blinked, as a smile slowly crossed her lips, "Haven't we met before?"

Chung did as he was told, hands up. He nodded slowly.

"Sorry. This is rare for me. It's not often that I get to see my prey twice. Now, remind me… where?"

"Velder. Market district."

"Ah, yes," the dark elf grinned, "You were the one with the cannon. Compensating for something?"

Slowly Chung's hands lowered, trying to get his hands as close to his revolvers as he could.

"Don't try it, kid. It never worked before it certainly won't work now… yes. I remember now. You had the same look on your face when you couldn't help your little friend. You were too busy hiding behind the safety of the gate."

"I also remember your face being burned off by Elesis," Chung retorted, "Now who's the one hiding behind something?"

The comment visibly angered Chloe and, for a moment, her head shifted as she gripped the priestess by the arm. Chung caught the faintest hint of a terrible scar over the other side of her face. It took a moment for her to calm down before she broke out laughing in realization.

"You've got quite the tongue, kid. What I'd do to see the look in your eyes when I cut it clean out of your mouth."

"You can start by letting the priestess go. She has nothing to do with this."

Again Chloe laughed. "Why in the hells would I ever do that?"

Chung's eyes quickly darted to Sasha. There was slight hesitation in her but after a moment to gather herself, she nodded.

"Because," Chung stated, walking back over to the elevator and pulling on the lever once more, "She's more useful to Ran alive than she is dead. Kill her and he loses his connection to the El Stone. No connection, no access to his infinite army."

"Bullshit. Like I'd buy that," Chloe growled, pressing the tip of her dagger against her neck. Blood began to pour from it.

"Oh? And why the  _hells_  did you and your glitter army try so hard to catch the Velder Priestess  _alive_  when it would have been so much easier if you just killed her? Did your leaders explain that to you or were you stupidly following orders like the puppet you are?"

"I am no puppet, kid. Keep talking and I slit her throat!"

"Dark elves… I know of you. Rena told me. I know of your exile from the Elven Kingdom. You're a dying race, aren't you? The last generation of your kind. What was it the demons promised you? Vengeance? Power? Regardless of what it is they promised, you sold your race to them. And here you are defending a monster bent on destroying our world and blindly taking orders from him… like a puppet."

"Our world…? No. If he destroys it, so be it!" Chloe roared, "Those elves stole my world from me long ago. I'm just returning the favor!"

"And by killing the priestess, what would you achieve? Ran loses his power. We win. All thanks to you. So… would the puppet kindly let the priestess go?"

That was the last straw. The prince saw whatever patience the elf had snap and he stepped back, drawing his revolvers. Chloe pulled her blade away from Sasha, pushing her aside as she threw herself on the guardian. The dark elf's face was horrifying to look at. Like staring at the otherside of a coin, Chung could see the fine features of an otherwise beautiful elf on one side, and the melted-shut eye and missing cheek on the other.

"Sasha! Get out of here!" Chung shouted, firing at the dark elf.

With a flash of blinding speed Chloe deflected the bullets trained at her legs and head, redirecting it back at him and forcing the prince to dive out of the way. Already backed into the corner of the balcony, all the prince could see was the gleam of steel. Strike after strike that would have struck the vulnerable joints of his armor instead met air as he narrowly, and often accidentally, dodged a would-be fatal blow. Not even the first five seconds of the fight and Chung was already on his back foot. He couldn't hold back at this encounter. Not when he was this close to Ran.

El surged through his body once more as he raised his hand to block an incoming blow trained at his neck. El took over. What was a block was now a parry. With a rush of strength, his hand pushed her wrist away, letting the blade fly past his neck as he moved forward, smashing his skull against hers.

So powerful was the blow that the elf was sent stumbling back, all momentum in her rush of attacks halted as she leaned against a broken column. Regaining her bearings, she looked up at the prince engulfed by blue flames.

"So. You've learned how to awaken your inner fire," Chloe said, wiping the spit from her jaw, "But it looks wild… untamed. You won't last."

"I only need a moment to finish you," Chung answered, switching to his cannon.

"No. You'll need far more than that," Chloe grinned. In that moment, a glint in her eye caught the prince's attention. It was subtle but he noticed the way her red eye seemed to shine a bit brighter than before. "This is one's inner fire at its most efficient."

She was on him. Faster than before. No sooner had she finished speaking did he find himself staring inches away from the face of his adversary. He swung his cannon, yet just as quickly as she had appeared in front of him, she was gone. At the end of his swing she was there once again, landing the spinning kick right at the side of his head, sending him stumbling over to the guard rail of the balcony.

He had little time to recover from the blow as the dark elf struck him once more, throwing her weight into a flying knee. The force broke the stone guardrail, knocking the prince on the ground with half his upper body hanging over the rushing water. She was already high in the air above him, dual daggers gleamed in the low light as she came down on him for the final blow.

Chung raised his cannon, blocking the strike that would have beheaded him. The shockwave of the strike echoed throughout the halls and, with a loud crack, the entire balcony came crashing on to the rushing water below. The floor under the two shuddered but remained intact as it impacted the stone under the shallow river and began to slide downhill.

Using this moment of confusion, Chung punched the elf on top of him before knocking one of the blades out of her hands. Recovering, she brought the other dagger down on his head. He narrowly dodged it and he turned, biting her wrist and drawing blood. The dark elf cried in pain, pulling her arm away and giving the prince another opportunity to knock the blade away. They flew in opposite directions, embedding themselves in the stone on either side of the platform they fought on. Chloe was relentless in her attacks, however. Even as the severed balcony careened down the river, she continued pummeling the prince's head while she had him mounted. He raised his arms to block and she quickly rolled off him making a break for one of her daggers.

The guardian stopped her, though, grabbing her by the leg and pulling her back towards him. Landing a punch square across the burned side of her face he picked her up by her head and brought it down hard on the guard rail, sliding it across the rough surface before throwing her on the ground. He stood over her, cannon in one hand as he raised it over his head to finish her. She swept her leg under him, knocking him off his feet and giving her a chance to run for her dagger.

The prince hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Without wasting a moment, however, he drew his revolver and fired at the elf. She rolled towards the blade, dodging the bullet that would have otherwise struck her in the back and was on her feet just in time to deflect another round trained at her head. Standing, she ran for the prince.

Both lost their footing, however as the balcony struck a column, sending the platform on a spin down the river. Slowly they rose to their feet, eyes locked on one another. Her face was scratched and bleeding and Chung's nose bled as he spat out blood. Chloe glanced behind Chung. She wanted her second blade. She had to go through him to get it. Raising his cannon the prince pulled on the lever, dumping more of his fleeting El reserves into loading three rounds.

Chloe saw this and immediately drew her bow, nocking an arrow as Chung fired. Each missile he fired at her detonated midair as she met each missile with an arrow. The explosions tore through the platform, separating the segment Chloe had been standing on. Through the clouds of smoke, he saw the fragmented segment was empty as it broke away. The prince was knocked back as Chloe came charging through the cloud of smoke. Kicking him in the chest and vaulting over him, she lined up a shot as she flew in the air and loosed the arrow. Without time to think, the prince quickly drew his gun and fired. The arrow hit its mark, burying itself through his chest from a high angle.

Chloe landed gracelessly, as the magical bullet had burned a hole in her knee. Despite this, however, she painfully rose to her feet, her El keeping her standing as she ripped her second dagger out of the stone floor

"You cannot win against Ran… if this is the extent of your strength," Chloe said in between gasps.

"Then I'll die fighting him," Chung stated firmly. He gripped the arrow shaft, breaking it before reaching behind him and pulling out the arrow.

Chloe uttered a pained laugh. "You humans and your ridiculous concept of 'glory'. I've lived hundreds of years. I've seen thousands of your kind fall in battle, each holding on to this idea that they will be remembered in history. How foolish. They have become nothing more than a notch on one of my many bows. You will join them."

"You're going to have to kill me first!" Chung charged. She loosed two arrows which he deflected with his cannon, closing the distance with her quickly before she could fire more. With a single bound, she stepped over the prince's destroyer, heeling him at the back of his head as she flipped behind him. Another two arrows were fired at his exposed back. Spinning around as quickly as he could, he dodged the first, but the second arrow punched through his armor at the shoulder.

Before he could react to the surge of pain, the gleam of daggers were once again on him as she capitalized on his injury. A blade grazed his cheek as he swung his destroyer to create space. She backpedaled, avoiding the swings as he drew his revolver. He advanced on her, firing into her and forcing her to dodge and deflect the incoming bullets.

Once close, he shrugged off the possibility of her attacking him and quickly went for the reckless blow, swinging his destroyer as he reloaded a fresh round into it. The dark elf flipped nimbly over him. Thinking quick on his feet, he pulled the trigger, the recoil launching the cannon the opposite way into an upward swing that caught the Elf off guard. The bladed end slammed into her side and she was sent flying into the stone railing, shattering it as she laid on the ground in a daze. Nothing but rushing water lay under her as the platform continued down the manmade river. The prince stood over her.

The bladed edge of the cannon dripped fresh with her blood and on the elf's body a deep gash had been cleaved into her hip, her spine being the only thing that stopped her from being cut in half. She stared up at him, her single red eye losing its fire as the barrel of his revolver was trained to her head. The flames of El had been extinguished from her adversary as well.

"What you fight for," she coughed weakly as the El faded within her, "is meaningless. You cannot stop the inevitable."

"We definitely won't stop it if we don't try," Chung replied.

Chloe heaved for air as her eye rolled to the ceiling that rushed past above them, "I've seen the vast armies… of the demon realm. The Glitter Demons? General Ran's horde? You've only seen… a fraction of the horrors that are awaiting all of us on the other side. There is no end to them… your world… our world is doomed. It's much easier to avoid the suffering. Join us… and we'll all watch the world burn together."

Chung didn't falter from her words. Instead his grip on his revolver tightened as he gritted his teeth at her. "No one in their right mind would accept such a bargain."

Chloe laughed weakly, eye clouding over as life left her, "You'd be surprised…"

Death took her as her head rolled to the side. Chung lowered his gun. Where he once held fear for the dark elf, he now only felt pity. He knew nothing about the elf except that she wanted to return the favor; to take away the world that others stole from her. What did she have to go through to be so hellbent on revenge?

The broken balcony he stood on continued down the long spiraling river. It wasn't long before he found himself within a gigantic lower chamber surrounded by blackened water. The man-made river emptied into a circular body of water wide enough to easily fit a sports stadium and cascaded in a loud circular waterfall around a large platform. Connected only by an elevator to the upper levels and a wide bridge leading off to the side of the chamber, this platform housed the base of the spire where the crown jewel of Hamel rested at its base: the El Stone of Water.

Chung leapt off the fractured balcony as it floated over the circular waterfall's edge. Chloe's body disappeared into the abyss below as the prince more than happily landed on stable ground. He pulled out the arrow still wedged into his shoulder before reaching into his pack to pull out one of his only two health elixirs. Chugging the entire flask in one go, he had to make sure he was prepared for whatever was coming next. His flesh burned as he could feel his body quickly healing the wounds over him. His nose stopped bleeding and the arrow wounds on his torso closed. He scanned his surroundings as he let his body heal.

Wide towering support columns dotted the area. Like a forest of thick marble tree trunks, Chung had to wander between these as he approached the seemingly uninhabited third level of the Halls of Water complex. Near the spire's base, he spotted the ruins of a collapsed column. Laying on its side, the width dwarfed the young prince as he stood by it. A pile of rubble had come crashing down from the ceiling and Chung believed this to be the cause of the upper levels collapsing earlier. But what could have done this?

His initial guess was Ran, but he wondered if the demon even had the power to destroy a huge stone column by himself. Chung received his answer, however, as the ground began to shake. Slowly, and to his disbelief, the collapsed column began to move. Dark energies erupted from under it as a cry of anger and pain resonated throughout the halls. The stone cracked as a portion of the column broke from the rest. A giant disembodied hand could be seen lifting the rubble up off a figure clouded in dust. Red and black energy pierced through the cloud, outlining the shape of a human with long demon horns. It was Ran.

"Go ahead! Run!" the Demon General screamed angrily through the clouds, "You think this… can stop me?!"

The hand rolled the column aside, letting it fall with a heavy crash behind him, pushing the dust away with a rush of wind. The Demon General stood before him, clutching at a visibly broken arm. The deep wound in his chest from Roger's blade was still visible… and still bleeding.

Ran searched his surroundings, black and red eyes falling on the lone prince standing before him.

"You…!" Ran growled, his eyes burning with hate.

Unsure of the circumstances that brought Ran to such a state, Chung remained steadfast before his final adversary.

"Demon General Ran!" the prince of Hamel spoke proudly as he loaded a round into his cannon, "As heir to the throne sworn to protect the El Stone, I've come to put an end to your invasion! For the good of the realm!"


	27. My Family Comes First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Demon General was right in front of him. After causing the young man years of misery and taking everything from him, this was Chung's chance to take him down. But is he ready?

"Everyone inside! Hold the line, paladins! Just a little more!" Helputt yelled as hundreds of civilians funneled through the Halls of Water entrance. At the bottom of the steps were the last of his elite paladins doing their best to hold off the tides of demon spawn. Troopers lined the stairs, their destroyers echoed in a symphony of cannonfire.

Bringing up the rear of the train of civilians were red-uniformed soldiers following them in. The king grimaced, grabbing one by the arm with enough strength to nearly rip it clean off.

"Just where in the hells do you think you're going? The enemy is that way!"

"Orders from High Commander, your majesty," the Velder soldier's voice trembled as he looked into the king's fierce blue eyes.

"Well I say you turn around and fight! You're no good hiding with my people!" with a kick, he sent the soldier rolling back down the stairs.

"King Helputt!" a man garbed with the imperial officer's gold and black cape climbed the steps before him. On his breast were docrations of honor from as far back as the Ereda Isle campaign.

"That's your  _majesty_  to you, High Commander," the king growled angrily, "Send your men back into the fray. We have civilians to protect!"

"Your majesty," the man spoke with a condescending tone, "with all due respect, your troops are better for outdoor battle. Should the demons make their way in, you will be ill equipped to fight them indoors. My men are better suited for that, which is why I'm sending them inside with the rest of your people."

"I take it you're going in with them?"

"Of course. An army needs a commander. Which is why I highly suggest you do the same."

"Not while my men are still fighting here. I will stay and fight," Helputt said, "And you should do the same. How can one call themselves a leader if they refuse to face danger themselves?"

"One who lives to lead another day," the High Commander said, eyes narrowing at him.

"Velder cowards. I can never understand why your generals hide in the safety of your tents while your men die for you. I will stay here with my guard and make sure the demons don't make it up these steps."

"Whatever pride you have for your tradition, King Helputt, I highly suggest you drop it for the sake of your people. We need you there to convince the priestesses to let us in."

"This again… you just want access to the inner sanctum! I will  _not_  allow it!" Helputt shouted over the volley of cannon fire.

"Your  _majesty_  I beg of you," the High Commander said in an angry whisper, "If you die here, there would be no one left to lead your people. If that is the case, then Velder can easily step in and assume control."

His words seemed to hit the king right where it hurt and for a moment, Helputt's unflinching fortitude faltered.

"Is that really what you want to happen? After all these years of intense negotiations, is this really how you'll hand over the kingdom to us?"

The king looked back at the last of the civilians and Velder soldiers scrambling through the cathedral doors. He then looked at the demons tearing their way through his elite guard.

"Paladins! Fall back!"

The order was welcomed as many of his men quickly turned and retreated for the doorway. The king eyed the commander warily.

"I'm not going alone, then. We may be in this together, but I trust you just as much as I trust those monsters at our doorstep."

* * *

Large stone columns surrounded the two. Like marble forest, each was like a truck and the level above it was their canopy. Sitting on a grand golden pedestal was the El Stone of Water. The blue-green gem was twice as tall as he was and its boundless source of energy shining brightly in the depths of the undersea sanctum. This was the source to Elrios's balance of magic… and Ran was the only one standing in his way. The sound of rushing water echoed around him like a never ending round of applause. He had been waiting for this moment: the main event to his final act.

The Demon General was hunched over, clutching his arm, clearly broken from the fallen column. The gaping wound on his chest from Roger's blade over a day ago remained untreated and open. He was weakened, but to Chung that meant nothing. This monster needed to pay for his crimes. The prince would not spare him any mercy.

Chung to the initiative, breaking into a headlong charge. At the halfway point, he spun his cannon around, firing a round backwards and propelling himself towards his target. He saw his adversary step back by the unexpected burst of speed. Ran had little time to react as Chung's fist connected squarely with the demon's jaw. The demon's head turned and his body tilted from the blow. Despite the power behind the strike, the demon did not stumble. Chung turned his cannon to its bladed end, he spun at his heel, bringing the full weight of the weapon onto the monster's head.

Hitting nothing but air, the prince caught a glimpse of the demon leaning back, narrowly dodging the cleave as the blade scratched the tip of his large horn. The last of the prince's El filled his body. He wasn't going to give him a chance to escape. Not when he was this close.

Blue flames swallowed the prince and the magical aura carried his cannon into a follow up downward swing that came crashing into the hard stone surface with an ear-shattering boom. The entire platform rumbled from the shock yet his target did not stand before him severed in two. To the boy's surprise, Ran had simply side-stepped the swing, strands of his long white hair flying in the wind as the blade had just narrowly missed him yet again. Despite all this, the look on Ran's face wasn't fear… it was impatience. Impatience and a deep seated anger that could barely control itself as he gazed upon the human foolish enough to challenge him.

The prince tore the cannon out of the ground and swung it back at him. He continued his flurry of swings, each hitting nothing but air. No matter how fast he tried to get his strikes in, the demon expertly dodged it with catlike grace. Even with his broken arm hindering his mobility, Ran danced before danger, teasing the prince in his attempts to land a solid hit. He was growing frustrated until he found his opening. Purposely misstepping the rhythm of his swings, Chung quickly pulled the trigger of his cannon, sending his swing back the other way and catching the monster off-guard. To his surprise, the demon stopped the cannon dead in its tracks with just his hand.

Chung did not relent. He pulled his cannon back, drawing his revolver with his free hand, and pointing the barrel at Ran's head.

Just as he pulled the trigger, his hand was knocked upward with an expertly timed strike from the Demon General before the prince was shoved off his feet with the same motion.

Still in the air, the demon uttered a single word that caused the young man's blood to run cold: "Weak."

A powerful blow rippled through the young man's armor. The singular strike with the demon's fist sent the prince flying into a marble column, cracking the stone. He gasped as the last of his inner fire was snuffed out from the singular strike. The prince fell forward, clutching his chest as he choked for air. Even through his inner fire, even through the armor, the blow was enough to break a few of his ribs.

"You stand no chance against me, human. You had better odds cowering behind the waterway walls.

"Is this really the best that your realm has to offer?" Ran laughed in between heavy breaths, "Resorting to cheap tricks and attacking me when you think I'm vulnerable? You're mistaken, prince. You're not even worth my time to kill. I'll leave your fate to my army. I have more important matters to address."

Ran straightened himself, wiping the blood that dripped from his lip before raising his arm to summon the power of El. Nothing happened. He tried again, pooling some of his El into the rift spell. Electricity crackled at his fingertips yet not a single rift appeared.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ran looked to the El Stone as he tried to summon the magical energies once more, "Where is my power?"

It was now the prince's turn to laugh, albeit weakly. "Your countless army is beyond your reach, Ran. Without a conduit, you're by yourself."

"The priestess…! What have you done?!"

"I've awoken your conduit. From now on, you'll be fighting me without your minions at your side."

Chung's head snapped back the Demon General's foot connected with his chin. He gasped in pain as he rolled over

"I have lost my patience with you and your Velder Army long ago. Once I'm finished with you, I'll find and kill the other two who did this to me! Then your priestess will be mine once more."

Other two? Chung's eyes fell on the limp arm that swayed at Ran's side. He only knew a handful of people capable of bringing down a stone structure of that size, and most of them were safe on the other side of the bay. That meant the other two he mentioned had to be-

Ran kicked him, once more, this time catching him at the rib. The force of it and the way his bones shifted unnaturally within him forced him to open his mouth to scream in pain, yet no sound escaped his throat.

The Demon General snorted in amusement, picking him up by his neck, he dangled the prince in front of him and Chung clutched at his arm to keep his neck from breaking.

"I do admire your tenacity, Prince Seiker. Unfortunately your little crusade is misguided. You fight for the wrong side. We are not your real enemy."

Chung struggled in the demon's tightening grip. Even in his helpless state, the young prince did his best to wrench himself free. "An enemy of my home is an enemy to me," He said between gasps.

"Is that so, prince? Then I have a question for you: why is Velder here?"

The prince gasped for air at this point, his face blue from lack of air. The demon loosened his grip, giving him enough time to answer. "To banish you back from where you came."

"Oh, really? Are you certain their motives are true, from the bottom of your heart? Would you vouch for the selflessness of these contemptible mortals? Think about it, prince: you two have been at war. For what, exactly? And now, after years and years of unsuccessful negotiations for peace, they're suddenly so willing to throw all their resources into 'saving' your kingdom."

Ran squeezed once more, and he watched the young prince's legs flail as the demon felt the life force of the prince wane. Ditching trying to pull himself free, the young man drew his revolver, summoning whatever El he had left into one shot as he placed it on the demon's head. Ran didn't move and simply dared Chung to pull the trigger. He did so, garnering nothing but an empty click.

Chung's strength failed him. His arm fell limp as the revolver fell to the ground with a heavy clang. Slowly the world around him began to blur as his vision faded to black.

"Consider my words as you suffer in the afterlife,  _Prince of Hamel_."

His struggles ceased. With no energy to move, Chung's last moments were that of suffocation and pain. Nothing else mattered. He just wanted to breath.

Then, as if El Lady had heard his desperate prayer, his body was suddenly dropped to the floor. The prince fell back, sucking in the delicious salty air. He coughed as his senses returned to him. His vision slowly returned as he stared up at the distant ceiling above. Then came his hearing; the sound of a more than livid adversary could be heard growling at an incoming threat.

Chung lifted his head and found the general's lower half coated in ice. A large shard of ice had been driven into his right rib cage and protruded in a mix black demon blood out of his left. His voice bled venom as he screamed at the unseen threat to Chung's left. Still frozen from the waist down, he tried his best to dodge a chain of fireballs as he ripped out the shard still embedded within him.

His body was engulfed by an explosion of flames and the distinct sound of ice shattering could be heard through the blast of intense heat.

The smoke dissipated and like some vanishing act, the demon was nowhere to be seen.

"Chung!" a female's voice called to him.

 _Oh no_.

"Chung! By the gods… please tell me you're alive…" He felt his head being lifted as he focused on a pair of bright purple eyes.

_What is she doing here?_

"Chung… thank the goddess… hang on," Aisha glanced around frantically for any signs of a threat as she dug through his supply pouch for his last health elixir.

"What are you doing here," Chung muttered weakly.

"Here. Just drink up," Aisha said, lifting his head and ripping out the cork to the flask with her teeth. She brought the medicine to his lips but he suddenly sat up, pushing her back and causing her to drop the flask in surprise.

"What are you doing here?!" he screamed, scrambling to his feet at the bewildered mage. His last health elixir lay in a pile of broken glass, the last remnants of the fluid lay He looked around. No one else was there. She was alone. Was he hallucinating? There was no way she could have…

"The priestess told me," she said, standing as she looked around cautiously, "We found her waiting outside this big gaping hole at the side of the cliff. She said you were here and pointed us towards a lift."

"Us?!"

"Useli. It took a bit to convince one of the Hamelings to carry a Velder soldier but I told them it was because we were worried about you. I brought her along because I thought you would've been hurt… She's at the upper level with the priestess waiting for us, right now. We have to get out of here right away."

Aisha tried to grab him by the arm but he pulled away from her.

"Chung, please, you don't need to be here-"

"No!  _You_  don't need to be here! This is  _my_  fight. Not yours. Leave this place. Take the priestess and flee."

Aisha tried to speak but the look of pure unadulterated desperation in the guardian's eyes stopped the words at her throat.

"Go. Please. I don't… want to lose you."

The mage regarded the young prince for a moment.

"I can say the same for you," she responded.

"Isn't this sweet…" a voice filled their minds as attention was brought to the elevator. Ran leaned against a pillar, clutching at his new wound with his only functioning arm as smoke still emanated from his recent dance with magical flame. Even with the injuries that covered his body, he looked very much capable of holding his own against them.

"You fools are going nowhere."

"Aisha, I'll distract him. Get to that elevator and get as far away from here as possible."

"No. We can take him! Look, he can barely stand as it is. We just need to work together and-"

There came a loud clash of steel as Aisha was shoved back. The prince had pushed her out of the way as the last bit of his remaining El was used to close the distance and intercept Ran's sudden rush towards the young woman. His cannon was raised, stopping the claw that would have otherwise torn her to shreds.

"Go!" the guardian yelled as he swung his cannon in an attempt to make space. The demon quickly ducked the swing, shouldering the young prince in the gut before roundhouse kicking him at the side of his head. Chung was sent sailing to the side while Ran quickly set his sights on the mage once more.

Aisha panicked, clutching her staff close to her chest she vanished in a flash of light and reappeared several yards away. Realizing she was moving further from the elevator she chanted a spell as her eyes remained on the single threat directly in front of her. No sooner had she had her sights fixated on Ran did she suddenly find herself moments away from being struck by him once more. He may have been injured but his movements were quick and hard to follow. Using what she knew to engage the demon in close range, she raised her staff defensively, turning it at an angle and letting the strike glance off the staff and over her head.

In another flash, the mage put herself back at her starting point, closer towards the elevator. She held her tongue at the last syllable as the spell remained at the forefront of her mind and began chanting another. As she turned, she found Ran had already caught up to her. She uttered the last word to her initial spell and the floor was once more frozen in ice. Her next word completed her secondary spell bringing a swirl of fire around her immediate vicinity.

The slippery flooring and the intense heat pushed Ran off balance, giving Aisha an opening. Electricity coursed through her staff and she thrusted it at her foe. Ran suddenly vanished before her.

"Lookout!" Chung cried as a single magical bullet whizzed by her head, catching the demon in the chest just as he appeared behind her. The demon reeled in pain, giving the mage enough time to warp out of his reach.

The chamber to his revolver faded as the prince had just barely managed enough El for one saving shot. Aisha teleported next to the prince who was still trying to get back onto his feet.

"Here," she said, passing him her personal mana flask, "I think you need this more than me."

"You still need to get out of here," Chung said, unscrewing the cap and rising to his feet.

"And you still need to come with me. Either we both run or we're both killing him, together. I know we can take him. He can't focus on both of us at once."

"He can," Chung mumbled, taking a long swig of the flask. He gagged at the taste. He can never get used to the mana elixir's disgusting flavor. "I've seen him fight several Velder troops at once. He can easily do the same for us if we get close."

"Then we keep him at a distance. It's nothing new. We've fought enemies like this before," Aisha reassured him.

Chung could feel the El within his body return as the potion worked its magic. Maybe she was right. Maybe they could do this.

"I'll keep the floor frozen. Make it difficult for him to move. You just keep picking at him from a distance. When he gets close, just move away," the mage said, chanting her ice spell once more. Whether he was going to agree to her plan or not, she already put it into motion, uttering the last word to her spell, she waved her staff, sending out a sudden rush of ice in a large cone in front of her. So powerful was the blast of cold that the ice climbed upwards along the large columns. Their enemy stood in the middle of all of it, his legs crusting over with frost as he tried to maintain his balance.

Chung loaded his revolvers once more and began raining bullets onto the demon. Ran dodged, blocked, and parried the high velocity rounds as best as he could before the relentless stream of bullets eventually punched through his nimble defenses. Again and again the rounds cut through him and the demon was left at the mercy of the prince's El reserves.

"You think this will be enough to stop me?!" Ran roared as he raised his fist into the air. A large disembodied claw appeared above him as he brought his fist down on the ground. Mirroring his movements, the claw struck the floor with enough force to shatter the ice around him. Ran found his footing once the ice had been cleared, and before the shards hit the ground, he was already on the two.

"Aisha!" Chung called, reaching for the mage.

"Got it!" Aisha took his hand and in a flash they were several yards away from the threat with yet another ice spell already being cast. Once more was Ran's surroundings covered in ice and once more was he subject to the relentless stream of bullets from Chung.

The bullets struck the demon general and his body reeled from the merciless onslaught that only an otherworldly demon could endure. But even a demon general had its limits and as more and more of his body was destroyed, his attempts to avoid the shots grew more and more sloppy. Eventually the demon was reduced to his knees before the two. Surprised that he could even survive after all of that, the two never dropped their guard, keeping their distance as Chung kept the red barrels of his guns pointed at the monster.

"It's over, Ran. You've lost," Chung said, catching his breath.

The Demon General looked up at them, hate burning in his eyes as he struggled to rise to his feet. Unable to, the once-feared general could do nothing but remain on his knees before them.

The guardian swung his cannon around, pointing the barrel directly at Ran. He pulled the reload lever, dumping the remainder of his El into a powerful slug as he lined his shot up with the intended target. Using the same ammunition used to punch through the thick gates of the waterway, he wasn't going to take any chances with this demon. With the new cannon he expected the railgun shot to be much more powerful. All the better. Ran deserved nothing but complete, utter, obliteration.

Ran didn't move. The look of hate never left him and Chung reveled in it. He looked to the mage who simply nodded at him to get it over with. He pulled the trigger.

The recoil was phenomenal. He had to use all his strength to hold the cannon steady as a blinding blue flash filled the room. The area in front of the cannon had been eradicated by the sheer force of the blast, alone. A giant cone was bored into the marble at the Chung's wake and, as the dust settled, standing at the receiving end of the slug… was someone else entirely.

Chung thought it was Ran by the long white hair, but was proven wrong when the demon could still be seen on his knees behind the figure.

The dust continued to clear and, to both Chung and Aisha's disbelief, the cone of destruction had been split right down the middle by this mysterious newcomer. From the looks of it, the slug was cut in two as columns on either side of Ran had a large hole punched through each of them.

The figure looked up, her red eyes focusing on the two as she readied the searing red spear. It was difficult to recognize her at first with the fox ears and the nine tails that whipped about behind her, but the form dissipated and a familiar black-haired foreigner stood before them.

"Ara…?" the guardian whispered in a mix of shock and awe, "What are you doing…? Get away from him! He's dangerous!"

Ignoring her old friend's warning, she glanced at the demon for only a moment before returning her intense gaze back on Chung and Aisha.

"Are you okay, brother?" she said, not dropping her guard.

"Nevermind me. Have you dealt with the other two?" Ran said, trying to get on his feet once more.

"They are still in the temple. I try to pursue. But then there is fighting here."

"Useless!" Ran spat, his words visibly stinging the woman, "I gave you one job and you can't even do it."

"But… you are hurt," Ara reasoned.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling things here, by myself," Ran muttered, his words easily betraying his current state. Regardless he maintained the air of pride as he turned his attention back to his assailants, "But, since you are here, make yourself useful. Kill them."

There was only a moment of hesitation as Ara considered his words. Before the prince and the mage realized it, though, Ara had already closed the distance between them.

"Ara- wait!" before Aisha could even speak, the black-haired woman lunged her spear at her. Aisha had barely managed to raise her staff, deflecting a thrust aimed at her head.

The woman altered her grip and took to the air, pointing the spear downwards and bringing it down once more on the mage's head.

Chung was there to block the downward strike. A clang resonated around them as the spear struck his destroyer with enough force to broadcast her intent loud and clear. Fearing the safety of Aisha as well as the woman attacking them, the prince diverted the spear to the side as he kicked Ara away.

"Ara! It's us! Your friends! Don't you realize what you're doing?!" Chung yelled, shielding the mage behind him as they both backed away defensively. "Ran! What have you done to her?"

"He has done nothing," Ara replied, spear pointed warily at Chung, "This is my choice. My ultimate goal."

"To kill us?!"

"To protect my brother! He matters to me more than anything in the world. If anyone wishes to harm him… then they must go through me first… even if it's you!"

"But I  _helped_  you escape! I did it because you're my friend! I care about you! I wished for nothing more than your safety," Chung argued. His words had a visible effect on her as the tip of her spear slowly lowered.

"Doesn't that count for anything…?" Chung continued, "We don't want to fight you, Ara. Please…"

"Ara," Ran rose to his feet. The sound of her name caused the woman's eyes to cloud over in heartache. "Kill them."

"I'm sorry, Chung," Ara whispered.

Chung shook his head slowly. "Ara… no!"

"You should have left me to die."

She leapt high into the air, bringing her spear down on both of them and causing the two to jump out of the way. The floor cracked from the force of her downward strike and as she rose to her feet, she swung the spear around her in a wide arc that only pushed the two further apart.

A wheel of fire surrounded the mage as she backpedaled away from the spear's sweep but it did little more than catch Ara's attention, forcing her to immediately pursue the mage.

Chung raised his revolver and pointed it at Ara but his fingers refused to pull the trigger. Cursing to himself, he instead chose to chase after her.

Ara batted at one of the fireballs causing a plume of flame to explode onto her, yet despite the intense heat, she pushed through, grabbing the mage by the collar with one hand and placing the palm of her other on the mage's head. Energy flowed into Ara's fingertips as she tried to rip Aisha's soul out of her body.

The prince grappled her from behind, pulling her away from Aisha who stumbled backwards in a daze. He wrestled with her, holding her against him as she tried to break free.

"Ara, stop! We're your friends! We don't want to hurt you!"

"But you wish to hurt my brother!" Ara yelled, "And to me, family takes precedence over friends!"

She slammed the back of her head on the boy's jaw, knocking him back and causing his grip to loosen. Ara slipped out of his grasp, whirling around and flinging soul orbs at him. The first one struck him and he was immediately filled with the sensation of his legs being broken and his throat being slit. The second hit him and he could feel his chest being stabbed with a blade being twisted as it was removed. The third was an immense pain to the head as if being slammed against the ground. Never before had he been struck by a soul orb before but with each one that struck him he felt the final moments of each stolen soul course through his body.

He collapsed as his body locked up from the agony. The sound of fighting continued beyond his peripheral. Fire and ice flashed around him as he willed his body to get up once more. His body refused to respond as the pain of three souls fooled his mind into thinking he was beyond dead at this point.

Aisha stepped into view. She was being pushed back. With each precise and lethal strike Ara gave, Aisha was forced to respond, diverting each thrust and every sweep with a wall of ice and fire. Not once did she try to return the aggression but it looked like it took everything the mage had not to fight back.

"Ara… stop… please!" Aisha said in between blows. The mage vanished in a flash of light but Ara saw completely through her maneuver and already flung an orb at that direction. The orb connected with the mage and Chung could see her body lock up in pain. She fell to her knees as Ara quickly approached her.

"I'm sorry, Aisha," the woman said as she closed the distance, "I'll make it quick."

Chung watched as the tip of the spear was driven into the mage's gut. Time seemed to slow as he witnessed this familiar scene. Ara stood over the mage, lowering her spear as Aisha leaned forward into the thrust. He could see her hands grip at the bladed edge. She tried to pull it out but Ara held it in place, letting the life bleed out of the mage. She twisted the spear, widening the wound. He watched as her arms fell to her side, only then did Ara withdraw her weapon, letting Aisha's body fall forward. As the mage fell, her purple eyes met with Chung's and he could see the life slowly fade from it.

 _No_...

Pain didn't matter to him anymore. The three souls that wracked his body were no longer a burden as he rose to his feet.

"Aisha… no no no no…"

He lurched forward, his mind trying to wrap itself around the reality before him. He could see her fingers curl, her mouth utter incomprehensible whispers. Her eyes closed. It almost looked as if she had fallen asleep.

"How…" Chung's voice trembled in a mix of disbelief and horror, "How could you?"

"Chung," Ara whispered, turning her still-bloody blade on him, now, "I promise I'll make your death swift, as well."

"How could you?!" the guardian screamed, his voice carrying the intensity of agony.

Just as she did with Aisha, the spear-wielder rushed into melee range, spear at the ready. What she didn't expect, however, was the powerful surge of El that exploded outward from the young prince's body. She faltered in her step and was unexpectedly pulled towards him as the prince suddenly took hold of the spear himself.

Chung landed a powerful haymaker square on Ara's head, loosening her grip on her weapon. He ripped the spear from her grasp, tossing it aside before violently kicking her in the abdomen, sending her flying back and sliding against the floor. She jumped to her feet just as the guardian picked up his cannon and she retaliated by flinging more of her orbs at him.

The orbs connected, causing the young man to stumble backwards. Yet despite having to shoulder the suffering of several more dying souls the prince responded by charging forward. Each orb that struck him only increased his fervor. His armor began to shine a bright white and by the time he stood over the speechless traitor with his cannon raised and ready to strike, a white cowl had materialized over his head.

He brought the destroyer down. The impact of the blow shattered the stone surface below him, cratering the platform and causing the entire level to shudder. Ara just narrowly dodged it, escaping with her life as she made a break for her spear.

Chung wouldn't allow her to get that far.

He drew his Silver Shooter, firing relentlessly at her as she ducked and dove to avoid each bullet that whizzed past her head. Each missed shot seared her flesh and even tore through each of the giant columns she tried to take cover behind. She was getting close. The prince holstered his molten red gun and drew his secondary. With a well placed shot, he knocked the spear airborne just before Ara could grab it. A follow-up shot chipped at the shaft and a third broke it in half.

Ara snatched both pieces from the air, looking at the broken weapon in surprise. An explosion was heard in the distance and she looked up to see the guardian had launched himself at her.

Chung swung his destroyer as he flew, connecting squarely with Ara and sending her flying sideways. He pursued, firing another shot that propelled him towards her. She met his attack and blocked his punch mid-flight but the sheer force of it knocked her to the floor, causing her to roll to a stop as Chung slid to a stop before her. He slammed the cannon downward but was somehow stopped by the woman under his weapon. White hair caught his eye and before he realized it, his cannon was knocked back, sending him stumbling as Eun forced its vessel to jump to her feet.

Nine tails whipped around wildly as blood red eyes glared at its adversary.

Still gripping the two ends of the broken spear, she leapt at the prince who gladly responded in kind, meeting her halfway as he drew his guns.

He fired at her and she sidestepped the bullet, striking his arm with the blunt end of the spear and knocking it away before he could fire another shot. She thrusted the bladed end at him and he leaned backwards, batting it away before attempting another shot.

What followed was a series of near misses and strikes in close quarters. The two attacked and countered continuously, each just millimeters away from landing the lethal blow before the cowled guardian feinted with his strike and took the counter thrust to his side. She buried the spear into his ribcage but he was able to land a decisive elbow to the fox's neck, causing her to stumble backwards giving him just enough time to lineup a shot on her shoulder joint when she thought the next would come to her head.

Eun gripped the burning wound in pain and Chung capitalized on it, bringing his cannon in for one final blow.

Before it could land, however, Ran appeared, arm raised as a disembodied fist appeared to stop the blow dead in its tracks.

Ran grunted at the strain of the block and he looked up at the prince, eyes burning with channeled El. He had been gathering his energy during the entire fight. Ran pushed the cannon away before turning the claw to Chung. The Hamelian blocked the upward swipe but the force was enough to send the prince flying back.

"It appears the situation doesn't favor me," Ran said, glaring at the prince who landed several yards away. The cowl that shrouded his face seethed with energy and Ran could feel the burning fury within its folds.

Thinking quickly, the prince poured all his remaining El into the cannon and pulled the secondary trigger sending a rain of homing rockets flying towards the two.

"Let's go," Ran said to the fox demon behind him.

Using the El he had pooled for one last spell, the area around Chung crackled with electrical energy. Dark clouds formed behind Ran and after a flash of lightning a gust of hot desert air filled the area. A rift opened behind him, cascading the area in a bright morning sun just cresting the distant dunes.

The Demon General was the first to step through. Eun faded as Ara turned to Chung at the wake of oncoming missiles.

She looked as if she wanted to say something but given the situation, she had no time. She turned away, stepping through the rift and into the desert beyond.

The portal closed just as the missiles collided with the floor, creating an explosion powerful enough to bring down the columns in its immediate vicinity.

The floor crumbled from the force and the damaged segment broke off from the rest of the platform, plummeting to the distant unknown far below.

They were gone.

As the realization slowly sunk in, the prince's cowl slowly dematerialized around his head, revealing a tear stained face as he tried to catch his breath.

"Aisha!"

With the threat finally out of the picture, the guardian was finally free to tend to the wounded. He rushed to the mage's side, kneeling down and rolling her over to inspect her wound. Blood was everywhere and she wasn't moving. In a panic, he looked around for any means to help.

The health elixir!

He dug through his pouch and withdrew a half-filled metal mana flask. He checked her own pouch but found nothing. Out of desperation he ran over to the shattered health elixir not too far away and carefully brought the broken glass with the few drops of the red medicine pooled at the corner.

"Please work… please work… please work," he prayed as he tipped the glass towards her lips. He drew blood, cutting her lip and he cursed heavily under his own breath. Chung pressed his head against her chest and heard a very weak heartbeat. He had to do something-

The elevator. Aisha said the other two were still up there. He scooped her off the floor carefully before making a run for the lift. He kicked at the lever, engaging the lift mechanism that began their agonizingly slow ascent.

"C'mon… c'mon… Aisha… I'm so sorry. Whatever it was that we fought over I take it all back just..." Chung muttered to his friend in a panic. He looked down at her unconscious body and noticed the lack of the subtle rise and fall of her chest. He pressed his ear to her chest once more. No heartbeat.

"No!"

Chung set her on the floor and immediately began CPR, or at least the vague way he remembered it. Aisha had always been tentative teaching him the actual procedure. He pressed at her chest, counting in his head before bringing his lips to hers.

"Hang in there. Please... El Lady, above, if you are ever merciful, please save her," he said, the taste of blood in his lips as he continued to pump at her chest.

With each count he begged. With each breath he pleaded.

"Please… Please… don't go…"

* * *

The elevator stopped at the second level as Useli and Sasha rose from their seats to see to the arrival.

A broken prince knelt before them, clutching the lifeless body of an old friend.

"Save her!" he cried, "Please… save her…"

Even before they reached him they knew it was too late.

Chung knew it, as well… but the pain in his chest refused to accept it.

Aisha was gone.


	28. One Last Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the prince thought things couldn't possibly get any worse... the unthinkable happened: the loss of one of his closest friends. Bent and broken, his heart can bear the burden of a guardian no longer as Chung is forced to carry the body back to the others.

_"I won't let that happen," Chung declared proudly._

_"Let what happen?" the captain of the Royal Guard turned to him, a look of confusion across her face, "Getting too close to others?"_

_The prince shook his head, "No. I mean I won't let harm come to my friends."_

_Noah gave a single, loud laugh, though the pain in her eyes never seemed to leave. The cocky grin faded as she sadly shook her head._

_"It's impossible, Seiker. You can do the best you can for others. But in the end, sacrifices are going to be made. That's what everyone on this island has come to terms with. I just hope it's something you come to terms with, too."_

* * *

The last few drops of rain from the passing storm were carefully wiped away from Aisha's face as Chung held her in his arms. She looked as if she were sleeping; as if, at any moment she would be stirred awake by the caress of his hand. He wished it were so. He wished that this was all some horrible dream; that he'd wake up and find himself once more in Ruben forest, still owing the mage an apology for the night before.

He wished he would wake from his coma at the medical bay bed where his friends were there to meet him. Or perhaps he actually found rest after the long hours of patrolling the waterway walls.

Anything would have been better than this.

Chung looked past his fallen friend's head towards the destroyed castle far below. Thousands of demons still occupied the ravaged lands. Like a sea of oil, the black mass looked as if it was trickling downstream towards the Halls of Water. How surprised they would be, Chung thought, to find that their general had left them.

Irim roared, alerting the prince, as well as the second Hameling that carried Useli and Sasha, that they were almost at the waterway.

Light was breaking through the horizon as the morning slowly ushered away the evening storm. Far below, many of the braziers were still lit from the nightwatch and he could already see the red uniforms assembling for their arrival.

The two hamelings landed within the safety of the thick walls as a circle slowly formed around the two large beasts.

"Chung!" Rena called, pushing her way through the crowd with Raven in tow, "Where have you… oh gods…" The elf stopped in her tracks, hand over her mouth, as Chung dismounted with Aisha's lifeless body cradled in his arms.

Rena hurried to them but the slow shake of his head was enough to confirm her fears. The prince slowly lowered the body to the ground. The wound on her abdomen had covered the lower half of his white armor in blood. Chung was shaking. A torrent of emotion wracked his body as it took everything in his being to keep himself from breaking down in front of everyone. Rena carefully approached Aisha's body and tentatively brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

The elf drew in a sharp gasp as she quickly withdrew her hand. Again she covered her mouth as she fought back the tears.

"H… how? How did this happen?" Rena began.

He had been wondering the same thing ever since Sasha and Useli both said that there was nothing they could do. He was sure no one had seen him leave the waterway. He was sure Irim remained out of sight until they were safe within the cover of the giant storm. Yet despite all this… Aisha managed to follow him.

"How...?" Chung whispered, looking at the others for answers but he was only met with confusion.

No answer came and he rose to his feet. His body shook from the storm of anger and sorrow that boiled within him.

"I left without informing anyone... yet she found me... and she-" he flinched away when his eyes fell toward her body.

He scanned the crowd again, "How!?" he demanded. Only his racing heart could be heard over the uncertain silence. Suddenly, a weak, familiar voice cut through the silenced from behind the circle of soldiers.

"I told her."

Chung focused his attention towards the speaker.

An old friend hobbled his way through the crowd, assisted by crutches.

"Elsword…" Chung gasped as the Lord Knight's eyes fell on the mage's lifeless body.

The knight shut his eyes tightly, the grim reality of the moment hitting him as he tried to find the words to explain himself.

"I… heard you," Elsword said, keeping his eyes averted from Aisha, "I may have been unconscious, but… I heard you. I wanted to tell you to stop; that I didn't want you to leave us. But… No matter how hard I tried I couldn't wake up in time. The next thing I knew I was staring at Aisha's face… And… I told her."

Elsword looked up to the sound of heavy footsteps, just in time to see the prince land a right hook hard enough to knock the young man off his crutches and onto the cold stone floor.

Chung pinned him on the ground, landing a heavy fist across his face. And another. And another with enough force to draw blood. It was after the third blow that Raven caught the prince by the arm and wrestled him off Elsword.

"How could you?!" Chung screamed as he struggled to free himself. Elsword's head rolled weakly on the floor as he coughed up red from his bloodied mouth.

"You sent her to her death!" Chung wrenched himself free and threw himself on the knight once more, hitting him again and again. Each blow struck caused the young man to gurgle in pain accompanied by the sickening thud of bone against rock.

"Aisha…" Elsword muttered amidst the merciless onslaught.

With this single utterance, the prince faltered. How dare he say her name after sending her to die!

"Rena!" Raven called as the two grabbed the prince by each arm, pulling him off the knight once more.

"Why did you tell her? Why didn't you just leave me be?!" Again he struggled, his strength eventually leaving him as he finally broke down within Raven and Rena's grasp. His legs weakened and he fell to his knees with his arms still restrained by the other two. All the while he wondered why Elsword did what he did.

"Why…? You told me you cared for her. Why, then? Why did you send her to help me?"

He waited for an answer. With each heaving breath Elsword took, Chung saw the young man struggle to find the words.

"I did it…" Elsword coughed after a long moment, he turned his head towards Aisha's body as the tears began to flow freely from the knight, "Because I had to do something… to save you."

To save him. Chung's head fell forward in defeat. Elsword did it, again. He saved him. No matter how much the prince had tried to prove himself worthy as a guardian… Elsword always bailed him out of trouble in the end. But this time… it came with a cost.

He raised his head once more. Anger filled him yet again as he tried to muster the strength to beat the disabled Lord Knight. Useli was already at the knight's side, inspecting the man's head injuries. As his head was raised, Chung saw how Elsword's eyes never left Aisha's lifeless body. A look of deep-seated grief and regret covered his face.

In that moment all of Chung's anger, all of his fury, dissipated. Throughout the years of fighting alongside his best friend-throughout the borderline stupidity that accompanied the young man's courageous and stalwart disposition-he had never seen Elsword more broken in his life.

"While you were unconscious… Aisha told me that she had finally worked up the courage to tell you how she really felt about you. Did she at least have a chance to tell you that…?"

Only then did Elsword shut his eyes. He slowly shook his head.

"What the hell is going on here?" The crowd stepped aside as the High Commander pushed his way through. His eyes scanned over the Hamelings, the priestess, a mage's dead body, a bloodied Lord Knight, and a prince being restrained by two mercenaries.

Unable to comprehend the situation at first glance he immediately moved to Elsword's side, taking him from Useli's lap. "Check on the mage."

"She's dead, sir," Useli, muttered.

"What? How?"

"Stabbed, sir."

"And…? Don't keep the details from me. Out with it!"

"Ara stabbed her," Chung said, barely managing to utter the name. Penensio slowly turned his head towards the prince. Chung already knew where this was going.

"Who…?" the High Commander rose to his feet and Chung lowered his head in guilt. Chung could feel the grip Raven and Rena had on his arms loosen as Penensio drew close.

"A… Ara."

"Who is this Ara you speak of, again?" the sound of heavy footsteps closed in and prince could see the worn, mud-caked greaves of the High Commander standing before him, "Remind me."

He knew. The High Commander knew damn well who Ara was. He just wanted to get his single message through to the young man.

"The… one I set free," Chung whispered.

There was a long pause. Chung couldn't see it but he could feel the commanding officer nodding at him. He didn't have to spell it out for him. Chung already understood the mistake he made. As much as it killed him to admit it, the only reason Aisha died was because Ara was there to kill her. The only reason Ara was there was because Chung set her free. Despite Noah warning him not to do it, despite endangering the lives of thousands of troops, he still chose to free her. He believed it was for some greater good; that it was his duty to see to a close friend's safety despite the threat it brought. And now, Aisha was gone because of it.

Chung thought back on the events that occurred after that fateful night: the attack on the Temple of Frozen Water, the loss of thousands of reinforcements, the siege of Hamel Castle… It was as if the demon's knew exactly where to hit them and how.

It was then that Chung remembered the encounter with the demon lieutenant at the temple, how unsettling it felt when he and Elesis thought they foiled the demon's plans. Avalanche's words echoed in the prince's head:

"Stopped…? I'm afraid you're too late… You. Stopped. Nothing."

They knew. They knew everything up until the attack on the temple. They wouldn't have known about that… because Ara hadn't been there to inform Ran and his army.

He lowered his head as the weight of his guilt came crashing down on him.

"Chung…?" Sasha called, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm… sorry," Chung said, voice trembling as he spoke.

"Sorry's not going to bring back the dead, Seiker," Penensio sighed as he scratched his head, "Alright, everyone, show's over. Back to your posts."

With that the group began to disperse. Rena and Raven finally let Chung go, letting him rest on his knees as they quietly moved to see to Aisha. Useli and a handful of medics moved to carry Elsword's body while Elesis appeared with a stretcher to carefully handle Aisha. Sasha stayed, fearing the young prince would do something reckless towards the Velder officer.

"Oh, goodness," Denka's distinct voice exclaimed over the dispersing crowd as he was finally able to make his way to the scene. With a paw over his mouth, he looked over the situation before approaching the High Commander.

Penensio remained before the young prince, disapproval written all over his face "You're going to have to forgive me for not understanding the context… You said she was killed by that foreigner… so where the hell is Ara?"

"Gone…" Chung muttered, his voice barely a whisper as the reality of his past decisions came crashing down on him.

"Gone…? So you killed her?"

"No… she and Ran left."

There was a brief pause as Penensio couldn't quite register what Chung had just said.

"Left…? What do you mean they left?"

"I took the Hameling to fight Ran myself… Aisha came and saved me. We were moments away from finishing him before Ara suddenly appeared and-"

"You faced Ran alone?" Penensio said, disbelief heavy in his voice.

The prince nodded slowly. "I wouldn't have survived… had it not been for the Aisha or the others."

"Others?"

"Add and Eve..."

"The Nasod and her servant…? Didn't they fall when the Black Crow was shot down?"

Chung simply shook his head, shrugging his shoulders and letting them slump forward as he remembered they were still somewhere within the temple. His initial instincts were to immediately go after them, but...

"And you said Ran left? Where'd he go?"

Chung shrugged. "Away. He used the last of his El to open portal to some desert. Most likely the Sander Desert."

"That's far to the northwest," Penensio muttered, scratching his chin once more, "Way past the thick mountain range…"

Denka stepped forward, clearing his throat loudly to garner the High Commander's attention.

"High Commander… if I may…" the otter-man leaned in and whispered into Penensio's ear. As Denka began his lengthy dialogue, Penensio's expression slowly changed from disbelief, to confusion, to a sharp realization. Penensio straightened, cutting Denka off mid-sentence as he turned his attention back to the prince.

"The demons," he asked rather hastily, "Did they leave with him?"

Chung shook his head, again with a disheartened sigh. "On my flight back I saw the situation in the castle was unchanged," the prince said with another shrug, "If anything the demons there looked as if they were beginning to migrate back towards the Halls of Water."

The High Commander grumbled as Denka resumed whispering in his ear. Chung could barely hear what he was saying but, to him, nothing mattered anymore. After all that had happened, all that he had been through, he had had enough.

"It's a risky move," Penensio said finally, "But it's a lot better than giving Ran time to return… this might be our only chance."

"Your majesty!" Denka turned to his prince, "...surely you'll help, won't you?"

"What's going on…?" The prince tilted his head in confusion.

"Fill him in on the details, Denka," Penensio said, turning to leave, "I'll brief the troops on the plan."

"Without a Demon General or Lieutenant present, the strength of that particular brood begins to dissipate," Denka explained, "Decades of battle reports from all over Elrios confirms this to be true. You should be aware of it, too, aren't you, your majesty? If I'm correct you fought at the invasion of Velder, did you not? After you defeated the Glitter army lieutenants, would you say your fight from then on was easier?"

"I wouldn't say it was easier," Chung recalled. He rose to his feet, instinctively dusting his greaves and accidentally scraping off the dried blood that had caked there. He looked up and saw Raven and Elesis as they carried the stretcher of Aisha's body towards the triage tents. As she disappeared from view Chung found himself drawn towards the tents, stopping only when Denka stepped into his path, preventing him from leaving them mid conversation.

"Prince Seiker! Surely you can attest," the half-otter insisted, forcing Chung to let out a dispirited sigh.

All he could remember was having to fight tooth and nail for every inch of burned cobblestone during that campaign. "If anything, the demons were less organized without a leader."

"Regardless!" Denka interrupted before remembering his place, "Erm, my apologies your majesty, but regardless, the enemy lacks a leader. And this is a demon army we're talking about! They do not belong in this realm and require a huge source of energy to remain here."

"I'm… not following you," Chung replied, he tried to make his way to the tent once more, "What does this have to do with anything?"

Again Denka jumped in his path, "Their leaders are the source of energy that keeps them rooted to this realm. Their weak points that you've been targeting is a shard of El from their realm and it functions like a battery, if there is nothing to power it, they simply weaken and eventually die. Why else do you think the demons are so hard pressed on securing the El Stones in our world? With just one, they would have enough energy to power an unlimited army, which I'm sure you've already had a taste of from Ran."

Chung thought back on what he saw during the flight over; the rivers of black that sped towards the Halls of Water.

"That could explain why the demons have begun migrating towards the El Stone…"

"Precisely the reason, your majesty!" Denka exclaimed while the prince tried to step around the advisor, "They have sensed the disappearance of their leader and have begun swarming their only other source of energy: our Water El Stone."

"And… what is it exactly that you're proposing?" Chung asked, more to humor the advisor than out of genuine curiosity.

"I propose that we beat them to it! In the narrow corridors of the sanctum their numbers should count for nothing. With you and the rest of the El Search Party we should be able to stave off the tide without a problem, I'm sure of it."

"And the High Commander agreed to this? With fifty men? I thought he was trying to reduce the number of losses, not instigate them."

"He understands the risk, my prince. But he sees the logic in my reasoning. Your help in this matter would be paramount."

"I appreciate how highly you think of my fighting ability," Chung replied, having heard enough, "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pass." It was then that he was able to force his way around Denka.

"Your majesty," Denka grumbled in frustration as he ran after him, "I implore you, please help us. You and I know full well that the destroyer can make quick work of anything in an enclosed space."

"And what of the ones we're trying to protect within the sanctum?" the prince asked, "What of the ones fighting for our cause? What if the walls collapse on them? I've had an entire level collapse under my feet when a single support column was destroyed. You're asking me to liberally use a weapon capable of leveling a mountain in an enclosed space. No. I won't do it."

"But… Prince Seiker, you have to understand. If the demons swarm the halls, it would make reclaiming the stone near impossible. You have to do something… you have to save your kingdom!"

"Save…?" Chung stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to the otter, "Save?"

The young prince stomped over to the advisor, hands balled into a fist. "I will do no. Such. Thing."

"B-but, my prince, I… our home... I just-"

"Silence!" he roared, causing Denka to stagger back from the sheer volume of his voice. Even Sasha, who stood directly behind the prince, jumped from the sudden ferocity.

So loud was his cry that everyone within the walls paused. Elesis, stuck her head out from the triage tent and saw a prince quite literally on the brink of beating another man down to the ground.

Chung extended his hand, gripping the shaking otterman by the collar and pulling him close. He spoke in a whisper seething with rage.

"I… have tried… so desperately… to save others. But everything I do turns to shit. No matter how hard I try to redeem myself, someone else dies in my place. Every. Time. And now you're asking me to do this?"

His mind turned to Eve. She was still in danger but what could he do? Based on his history, he'd probably mess it up somehow at the cost of her life or someone else's. He couldn't bear such a horrifying thought. Not when there were capable fighters to take up such a burden. The prince slowly shook his head, letting the advisor go with a light shove.

"I've had enough of trying to save others," he said, turning his back to the others, "You'll find no help from me."

Sasha extended a hand towards Chung but pulled it away tentatively when he began to make his way towards the triage tent. Glancing from the prince to the advisor, the water priestess gave a brief bow of her head before chasing after him.

"Chung!" she called, catching up to the young man. He didn't respond and simply continued on his way.

"Chung, wait," She put herself in front of him but he quickly stepped around her. Elesis stood at the entrance. The Blazing Heart clicked her tongue at him before silently stepping aside and motioning towards where they had moved Aisha's body. As soon as he passed, Elesis resumed her guard, denying the water priestess passage.

"Let me through," Sasha demanded.

"Nuh uh," Elesis said softly, "The kid needs a moment to breathe."

"But… he's refusing to help us reclaim his kingdom-our kingdom. I need to reason with him."

"You'll get that chance soon," Elesis reassured her. She looked over her shoulder and watched as the prince knelt over Aisha's lifeless form. Raven, who had been at the mage's side the entire time, glanced up at Elesis, giving her a knowing nod. Chung took Aisha by the hand and gripped it, quietly raising it to his forehead.

"He just needs a moment," Elesis continued, turning back to Sasha, "As for actually convincing him to change his mind, well, that's on you."

Cold. Her hands had grown so cold. The prince prayed once more for this to be some sick dream.

"They said they're going to burn her body," Raven muttered solemnly, "I asked if I could bring the body back to Ruben and have her buried there… but, the medics advised against it. Said the body would be too decomposed to safely bring all the way to the little hamlet."

"She would have liked it, huh?" Chung replied, not raising his head from his deep prayer.

"Yeah. I was thinking of burying her at the overlook. You know? At our favorite camping ground with the view of Ruben?"

Chung didn't say anything after that. It was too hard to think about.

_"You're my little brother… I only wanted the best for-"_

_"You are not my big sister. You are not my family and you are not my friend anymore. I don't want anything to do with you!"_

He gripped her hand tightly, body trembling as the last memories he had of her rushed to the forefront of his mind.

_"Chung?" The mage gritted her teeth and chased after him, grabbing him by his forearm and stopping him in his tracks. "Chung! Stop this… please. What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? I don't want this… we're friends… aren't we? What can I do to make it up to you?"_

_"Stop trying to help me and leave me alone."_

He took in a sharp breath as nausea filled him. How cruel. How cruel he had been to her in the last few days of her life. This was all because of his decision to save Ara. If he hadn't done that, she'd be alive… and Ara would be-

Chung shut his eyes. What could he have done? What would anyone have done, in that situation? If he knew setting her free would have led to this would he have even tried to save Ara? Would everything turn out differently if Ara wasn't able to feed information to Ran? He felt disgusted at the thought of letting another friend die of torture.

It just wasn't in his character to let others suffer if he could prevent it. It was natural that he'd want to save everyone… But if his decisions meant an outcome like this…

"I quit," he said out loud, raising his head to stare at the open wound on Aisha's stomach.

"What are you on about?" Raven asked.

The prince turned towards the mercenary, eyes welling with tears. "I quit… I'm done… I don't want any part of this life of fighting, anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"Raven…" Chung sighed, "I don't want… to be a part of the El Search Party anymore… I joined under the impression that I'd be able to grow strong enough to one day take back my home… But I don't think I can do it. With one decision I've single-handedly killed over five thousand well-meaning men and women as well as lost my closest friends. Despite all of that there are some out there that still look up to me as their guardian… as their prince… I don't deserve that title. I don't deserve this kingdom… and I definitely don't deserve to be a part of an organization of war heroes such as yourself."

He carefully placed the mage's cold hands back over her chest as he rose to his feet. "I'll be here for the funeral service… but after… I'm just going to disappear… have the Hamelings take me somewhere far far away. Consider this my formal resignation."

"Kid… You can't just leave us. Not when there's still work to be done."

"I've made up my mind, Raven. I'm just not cut out for this," Chung sighed, backing away from him before turning to leave.

"Chung-" the mercenary lunged for his arm but the young man slipped out of his grasp and made his way for the exit.

Elesis was there, however, and she clearly didn't intend for him to pass.

"So that's it, then? You're just going to leave us?"

"Move, Elesis," the prince commanded. The woman refused to budge. When he tried to push past her she shoved him back.

"You're just going to run away when things don't go your way? Tell me, what good has any of that ever done for you? The first time you ran you made all of us have to travel to the other side of the world just to find you!"

"I'm not here for your lecture, Elesis!" Chung yelled. Hearing this the Blazing heart responded with the only language that he understood: by slogging him so hard on the head and causing him to fall backwards off his feet.

"The second time you turned tail you had my brother's girlfriend here chase after you, and now look what happened to her! Do you think running away a third time will solve anything? I heard what you said to the High Commander… Eve is still out there. And you're just going to run from all of this?"

"You're all capable of saving her without me!" Chung reasoned, "If I go then I'd only fuck things up like I always have!"

"Is that so? Is that why we've made it this far in the campaign? Was it your mistakes that made it possible for us to even push past Resiam? Let me remind you that you're the one who drove Ran out of this kingdom. The cost was heavy… but admittedly, we couldn't have made it this far without you. And you know it."

"I've set the stage," Chung muttered, "But I will not see it to the end. You are all strong fighters. You don't need me anymore."

"We're stronger with you. Look at us… It's only me, you, Rena, and Raven. We need you for this."

Footsteps could be heard behind Chung and he raised his head towards the Blade Master who stood over him. "Rena explained the situation to me regarding Eve. I'm not sure what it all means but since you're the closest to her, you should be the one to try and snap her out of whatever trance she's in. We need you for that, as well."

"I… I can't," Chung whispered, garnering a frustrated grunt from the Blazing Heart.

Elesis then turned to Sasha who was still standing behind her. "Anything you wanna add, water priestess?"

Sasha hesitated before stepping into the tent, clasping something in her hand. She knelt down to the prince's level and gently reached out to brush a lock of his hair away from his face. He winced in pain as her hand brushed a broken cheekbone from Elesis's punch from earlier, and he was filled with a sudden rush of energy as blue light shined in Sasha's fingertips. The pain numbed and quickly vanished. This was different from Useli's form of healing.

"I… don't have much else to add to what has already been said, but… here," Sasha whispered, revealing what she held in her other hand: a white ribbon decorated in the likeness of a Hamelian Blossom.

"You dropped this while you were in a rush to bring your friend back here… This was your mother's wasn't it? I remember seeing this pinned to her whenever she was well enough to attend our ceremonies."

Chung took the ribbon, staring at the polished golden button at its center.

Golden… like her eyes.

He had given this along with his heart to Eve… and she reciprocated it. She said she'd repay him someday… but the truth was he owed her for her affection… She deserved so much more than how he had treated her in the past… and here he was trying to run from all of it.

Chung stood, tucking the ribbon safely in his plate of armor. After taking a moment to gather himself, he let out a sigh.

"Alright," he said, turning to the others, "I'll do it. For Eve's sake."

After a brief look of bewilderment Elesis and Raven turned to each other, relief washing over each of their faces.

"But that's it. Consider this my final mission as part of the El Search Party."

* * *

Darkness surrounded Chung. Only the faint glow of El braziers lit their path. It was much harder to see the subtle trail of dark blotches of blood. But it was the only thing the prince had to go on. During his entire tour of the Temple of Trials, he could feel Sasha's grip on his arm tighten. She was on high alert. She sensed demons all around them but they had yet to encounter a single enemy during their eerily silent walk through the maze of halls.

He didn't want to bring her. He knew that it was unwise to put the priestess in danger once more, but she knew these halls better than anyone else. The others had stayed behind. The Hamelings were stubborn about having even one person from Velder ride them… it was something else entirely to ask the Hamelings to bring an entire platoon on their back.

"It's fine," Raven had said as the operation was set into motion, "In all honesty, I think it's better this way. The troops are going to need our help spearheading our way into a defensible position within this sanctum. We'll hang back with them and ride the boats to this hole you said was on the side of the cliff face."

Truth be told, Chung had to agree with Raven. If he brought an entire army with him to face Eve, there's no telling what kind of destruction she would reap if she were still under Add's control. This was a matter best handled by him and Sasha. And, admittedly, Sasha's presence has become a godsend as they traversed deeper into the Temple of Trials. Through the complicated twists and turns and crossroads that looked just like all the previous ones along the way, she directed him with enough confidence that it wasn't long until Chung was completely relying on her knowledge to navigate through the corridors.

"Your friends have wandered around for quite some time, it seems," she said, noting the multiple occasions where the trail of blood clearly indicated that Add and Eve had backtracked several times.

"They must've gotten lost after trying to evade Ara's detection… But this is a lot of blood. I'm surprised they even made it this far running from someone," Chung commented.

"By the way, Chung… now that we have a moment alone," Sasha began.

"What is it?"

"I heard what you said, about leaving this group called the El Search Party."

"Mhm. They're a group of mercenaries often recruited for-"

"I know who they are. I've read books immortalizing the original El Search Party… The one led by Lowe. Surely it's not the same one, is it?"

"It… sorta is. Lowe passed the torch to Elsword not too long ago."

"The friend of yours who you nearly beat the life out of?"

"Yeah… I… he's my best friend. I shouldn't have done that… I just lost myself, there."

"Yes, you shouldn't have done that. It is unbecoming of royalty such as yourself… but I want you to know I am proud of you being able to join such an esteemed group of heroes."

"Y-yeah… thanks…"

"Are you really leaving this group?"

Chung was silent for a long moment as they continued wandering through the dark halls. Finally, long after Sasha assumed he wasn't going to answer, he spoke.

"I think it's for the best."

"Because you're afraid of hurting others?"

"That… and because I've had enough of this kind of life. Not too long ago, Elsword and I had a heart to heart talk about all of this."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know how long we could keep this going. He stated his fear of one day losing one of us and that because of it, he's too afraid to get too close to anyone… Aisha in particular."

"The girl that died…"

Chung nodded. "I loved her, too."

"I'm so sorry, Chung."

"Don't worry about it… there's nothing you could have done. Nothing any of us could have done. It's part of the job… and that's why I intend on leaving the group. I can't bear that kind of pressure."

"I understand. So what are you hoping to do after all of this?"

"Well," Chung sighed, "Assuming everything goes well, I hope to straighten this kingdom out. Re-establish order and help with the rebuilding of our nation. With my father back to lead us, we should be able to recover, I think."

"He is a kind king. Though what if it doesn't go as planned?"

"Then I guess the demons take over and we all die a horrible death," Chung laughed at his own dark humor. Sasha, however, did not.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know… I know. But I haven't thought all of that out. I've just been focusing on the here and now, you know?"

"Planning is an indispensible trait for a future king, Chung."

The prince said nothing after that and merely continued onward through the dark hall. Neither spoke a word for the rest of the walk and, after what seemed like an eternity of navigating through the maze, Sasha spoke.

"It shouldn't be far, now, though. Once we reach the Hall of Trials, there'd be nowhere else for them to hide. It would be a straight path to the end where the others should have been hiding."

"Others…? You mean…"

Sasha nodded, "Yes. Where your father and the other Hamelians are held in cryostasis. Though since I am no longer channeling the spell, they might be thawing as we speak."

The news brought a surge of long forgotten excitement in his heart. Ran had said his father was still alive, before and Sasha indirectly confirmed it. His father was alive! But this was no time to celebrate. If what she said were true then Add and Eve would have reached this last chamber by now.

"We should hurry, then," Chung said, quickening his pace, "There's no telling what would happen if my father were to see those two."

The corridor widened into a grand hallway with a large marble path leading to what looked like three distant gateways. Flanking the path were pools of pure water, the smell of salt completely absent as the walls poured a seemingly endless supply of crisp clean water.

Before they stepped in the room, however, Sasha suddenly pulled him back, stopping him in his tracks.

"This is strange… the trials seem to be active," the water priestess whispered.

"What do you mean?"

She motioned at the widening point of the hall. A ring-like structure had been built over the marble path like some form of gateway. The prince noticed a strange distortion within this ring.

"This is a magical gateway used only by those going through the trials that allow you to wield the power of the El Stone. I had to go through them when I was appointed as the water priestess."

"Is there anyway around it?"

Sasha shook her head, "If this is active, the only way to deactivate it is to go through the trials and deactivate the source powering it on the other side. Usually it's another priest or priestess channeling the energy but… what's powering it now, I'm not so sure."

"Are the trials difficult?"

"They're not difficult in the physical sense… but they're tedious and require discipline."

"Will they take long…?"

"When I was appointed as the water priestess it took me several days to complete each trial."

"Several days? What exactly do you have to do?"

"Tasks fit for a religious figure, really. Some required me to sit alone in silence for what seemed like an eternity."

Chung let out an exasperated sigh, "And how many trials are there, exactly?"

"Three," Sasha pointed in the distance past the magical gateway to three similar gateways at the far end of the grand hall, "If memory serves me, from left to right, each gate leads to the Trial of Strength, the Trial of Will, and the Trial of Self Reflection. Judging from the trail of blood I can guess that the ones you seek have already surpassed the trial of Will and have moved on to the Trial of Strength… though…"

Sasha trailed off as she seemed a bit hesitant about all of this.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's not quite right… the flow of El ebbing through here feels… different…"

"Different how?"

"Corrupted."

"Is… that something I should be concerned about?"

"I'm not sure. It might be. The trials created are made based on whoever is powering these gateways. My journey through here may have been uneventful in your eyes but the obstacles laid out for you may be a different story. Possibly even dangerous. I'll help in anyway I can."

"Alright… I think I got it: finish the three trials, shut down whatever's powering said trials, save Eve if and whenever possible."

Sasha nodded, "By shutting down whoever's powering the trials, it would make passage much easier."

"Understood," Chung said before stepping through the gateway. His body tingled as the El passed through him and he turned around to see nothing but a brick wall through the gate behind him.

"Sasha?"

"Here," a voice called suddenly as Sasha suddenly appeared, stepping through the gateway. She turned, as well, noting the wall that stood behind them.

"We're trapped within these halls," she said, reaching through the El and touching the cold surface of the wall beyond it. "You must pass the trials now if you are to escape from here."

"Right… should be easy enough," Chung laughed nervously, "Trial of Strength, right? What's that about?"

Sasha groaned as she recalled her own experiences, "For me it was hours upon hours of sermons. It was the discipline to stay within the guidelines of the laws of our worship. I stood in front of a cathedral filled with shadows preaching until my throat was dry and until my legs were too weak to stand."

"Sounds wonderful," the prince commented sarcastically.

"Hopefully yours won't be so monotonous," the priestess said with a shake of her head.

"Hopefully…"

Suddenly, the floor under them rumbled. The gateway leading to the Trial of Strength rippled. Through the calm flow of water, the two of them could hear the faintest echo of what sounded like gunfire.

They both looked at each other before Chung hurried for the gateway. Sasha followed but before Chung stepped through, he turned, stopping the priestess in her path.

"Stay out here. Whatever's going on, it doesn't sound like a place for a priestess to be."

"But what if you're hurt-"

"I'll be fine," Chung reassured her, "Just stay here… stay out of sight. Please. I'll be back. I promise."

Sasha hesitated before giving him an uncertain nod.

Without a moment to lose, Chung stepped through the gate and immediately found himself overcome by the loud crack of constant gunfire that threatened to destroy his eardrums. He covered his ears as bright flashes of light lit the dark room. Before him were two familiar figures who had yet to notice his sudden appearance. It was Add and Eve.

The Technophile was on the ground, hiding behind the cover of a downed marble column. His clothes were in tatters. The long white cloak he wore had its sleeve torn off and was being used as a poorly wrapped bandage around a bloody wound on his leg. He was weak. The amount of blood he had lost getting here was beginning to take its toll and he looked as if he were on the verge of passing out. Despite this he shouted orders over the roar of gunfire and explosions.

Standing at his side, flanked by her trusty drones, Moby and Remy, as well as Add's dynamos, was Eve. Unlike the man who was barely hanging on to life next to her, the Nasod looked largely unscathed. The same spines from before protruded out of her back like black wings. At her side was her trusty atomic blaster, firing ropes of heated plasma rounds at their target. Every now and then the spines on her back would crackle with energy as numerous pocket dimensions around her would form. Hundreds of razor sharp shards of Nasod steel materialized, flying in hundreds of different directions as they cut their foe into ribbons. Various projected windows lit up in front of her as data flowed through them at a blinding rate but a single red display stood out the most:

"Exotic code corruption: 28%."

With all the deafening sounds and flashing lights, Chung almost didn't notice the collosal shadow that fell to its knees before the sheer firepower. It was a silhouette of a Hamel Paladin five times his size. Garbed in thick Hamelian Armor, the most defining feature of the titanic demon was the even larger cannon at its side. But even its size and its strength could not withstand the relentless onslaught of the little Nasod standing before it. Its armor cracked. Its joints were severed. Eventually the being fell forward in a crumpled heap, its form dissipating in a plume of thick black clouds.

The blue light of El returned in the large chamber and only then did the deafening cry of the atomic blaster fall silent.

"E… excellent work… Eve," Add said in labored breaths, "Th… these damned illusions… They're sure to be the end of me."

He motioned for her to move closer and she did so, extending a hand to help him up.

"Are you well, my king?"

"Better, now that whatever that was is out of the way," he struggled to rise to his feet and the Nasod leaned over, throwing his arm over her shoulder as she helped him up.

It was then that they both noticed that they weren't the only ones in the chamber.

"You…" Add growled, "Is this another illusion? You're supposed to be dead."

Chung quickly glanced at Eve. She still bore the same, dull amber eyes from before. The red window flashed as the number rose to 29%.

"I'm very much real," Chung sneered back, his hand slowly reached for his revolvers, "And I'm far from dead. I'm here to take Eve back."

"Back? To where?" Add laughed weakly, "She's where she belongs: under my control. And she likes it when I control her, don't you, my queen?"

Her eyes were fixated on the new threat. Like a wolf ready to pounce its prey at its master's command, she simply nodded.

"You were foolish to come after me alone, Chung. If that Ara woman was with you then you'd have a better chance… though that's not saying much considering that you're dealing with my Eve at her full potential."

"What do you mean full potential?"

"Queen's throne, you simpleton. With her exotic code fully unlocked, she has near limitless power. The restrictions of El is non-existent. She is at the highest form of efficiency and beyond. And all of that power is mine to study and control."

Chung quickly drew his revolvers, "Not if I have a say in it!"

He unleashed a hail of rounds, confident that each shot fired would hit its mark. Yet as he did so numerous portals opened between him and the other two as hundreds of spears flew past, catching and deflecting each round with unbelievable timing and accuracy.

"Chung," Add laughed, louder this time, "You stupid neanderthal. Hit things until it breaks… that's your solution to fixing things? Code is something that can't be corrected by violence-not that you'd have any knowledge at all about it. She's mine. And there's no way you can change that."

"I'll find a way… You just watch."

"Oh, I will. And I'll enjoy every second of it-until the last bit of life bleeds out of you," Add turned to his manipulated puppet as he slid off her shoulder and took a seated position on the marble column, "Eve?"

"Yes, my king?" the Queen of Nasods responded.

"Kill him."


	29. The Temple of Trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Add and Eve stand between him and the Temple's Trials. Still under the Technophile's influence, will Chung be able to defeat Add without bringing harm to Eve?

"Eve," Chung stated as calmly as he could, "I know you're in there. It's me, Chung. Remember?"

The Mastermind leaned weakly against the marble column as he cackled at the prince's efforts. "It's pointless! You've tried that before. Remember how that turned out?"

"I'm not dead, am I?" Chung replied, "I'm sorry, Add, but at that range it would've been pretty hard for her to miss my heart if she was aiming for it."

The grin faded from the technophile's face as realization slowly sunk in.

"A fluke," Add stated.

"Hardly," Chung said, more than happy to wipe that smile off of the man's face, "Eve, you can hear me in there, can't you? I don't want to hurt you and you don't want to hurt me. I need you to fight it!"

Add turned to the Nasod, who did nothing but stand at the ready. "Well, Eve? You can hear him, right?"

Eve nodded quietly.

"Are you going to listen to him or are you going to listen to your king?"

"My king, of course."

"Then what are you waiting for? Prove this ape wrong and tear him to shreds!"

The dynamos surrounding the Nasod lit up in a bright purple as Eve turned her attention back to the guardian.

The definitive sound of Eve's atomic blaster winding up could be heard over Add's voice. Before Chung realized it, he was already on the defensive, ducking behind his cannon for cover. Heated yellow-green plasma rounds sprayed around him like fireworks as his newly built cannon began to glow red from the intense heat. It held much longer than his old one, however. Where his old cannon would've been nothing but a melted puddle by now, his new destroyer was still in one piece.

A glint through the spray of lights caught his attention. Through the wall of sparks, a drone came flying in. Chung ducked it, narrowly dodging Moby and apparently Remy, who flew in from the otherside to flank him. Each carried a spear sharp enough to punch through armor and he could feel the rush of wind as they whizzed by. He rolled backwards, away from his cannon just as Eve's blaster clicked empty.

Moby and Remy came in for another pass, forcing the prince to side step one and bash the other one aside, causing it to change its trajectory out and away from him. Portals opened all around him. Dozens of Nasod spines flew in, making it impossible to dodge at his current state.

He had to kick it up a notch.

Raising a Silver Shooter in the air, he gathered a large pool of his El reserves and fired. The sheer force of the explosion of blue light was enough to send each spear flying back in the opposite direction. This gave him just enough breathing room to assess the situation under the effect of his El. This power didn't last as long as awakening, but the state of hyper awareness this syndrome granted was more important than longevity. He had to finish this fast before harm would come to Eve or himself.

Time briefly came to a crawl around him, and he used the opportunity to scan his immediate surroundings. Hitting all the spears at once would be near impossible, and the cost to fire the amount of rounds would be too high.

Instead, he chose to deflect the ones that mattered. As time reverted to its normal pace, the guardian ducked and weaved his way through the storm of blades, firing a shot to deflect the ones that would surely strike him as he pushed his way closer to Add and Eve.

"Stop him!" Add ordered, rising to his feet and stumbling towards the exit.

The Nasod's wings crackled with energy once more, and the room was suddenly flooded with portals. Chung only paused for a moment to analyze the new threats before letting the El drive his body ever closer towards his targets. Remy flew in from behind, cutting into his armor enough to graze the flesh underneath. The guardian quickly twisted his torso away, elbowing the white drone's hull upward and forcing Moby to collide with its partner when it flew in from above.

By then he had reached his cannon—and not a moment too soon, either. As soon as he was able to lift his destroyer off the ground, he briefly caught a glimpse of Eve loading a fresh cartridge of plasma rounds into her blaster. Blades, drones, and plasma rounds came at him simultaneously. Unable to leverage his cannon amidst the storm of incoming projectiles, the plasma rounds that pounded against the thick plating struck with enough force to throw the prince off-balance.

A Nasod spear pierced through his defenses, and Chung could only move his head just far enough for the sharp blade to fly by, leaving him with a deep cut on his cheek. He wouldn't last like this. He had to end this now.

Turning his cannon sideways, he launched himself away from the focused rain of steel. With just a brief moment to breathe, Chung fired another round, sending him soaring towards the other two.

His guns were drawn as he flew towards Add, but just before he pulled the trigger, a large explosion blasted him away from his intended target. His state of hyper awareness gave him just enough time to react and he raised his arms defensively as he was sent flying backwards. The prince tumbled, eventually landing on his feet, his arm guards dented by the blast. The clouds of rubble settled and Eve's empty Hornet Stinger was tossed aside, disintegrating into a puff of data.

This was his chance. Instead of taking the time to recover, he rose to his feet and closed the distance at an alarming rate.

Catching Add would be easiest during Eve's weapon swaps.

He fired his revolvers as he drew close, causing the man to shield himself from the rain of piercing El. An atomic shield was generated in an immediate, almost automatic, response, forming a protective grid that caused all the incoming projectiles to dissipate into nothing.

It was just as planned. He knew it took Eve time to generate the shield. He knew with her systems dedicated to holding the protective barrier, he could crash through the shield with the bladed end of his destroyer ready for an upward cleave.

And so crash he did, holding back nothing in his attack.

Add stood his ground defiantly.

" _Eve_."

At the single utterance of her name, the Nasod Queen stepped in the prince's way, using herself as a shield to protect her master. In that split second, Chung's momentum came to a screeching halt. He stumbled forward, coming to a complete stop at Eve's feet before jumping back and switching into a defensive stance.

"How low of him, using her as a shield," Chung thought as he gritted his teeth at Add, who seemed all too amused from watching the prince struggle.

Electricity sparked through the queen's wings and the guardian found himself once more at the mercy of the seemingly endless rain of blades. Using his Silver Shooters, he cleared a path with the last bit of his El-enhanced accuracy before closing the distance for one final attempt. He burst through the protective barrier a second time, feeling the El guiding his limbs fade. It didn't matter. As long as he could get around Eve, he didn't need the enhancement to kill Add.

Chung engaged them in melee yet again, looking to harmlessly push Eve aside before attacking the technophile. But, as he charged in, familiar blue disks appeared in the palms of the Nasod's hands. Chung did not relent, though and he pressed his hand against her side while she did the same to him.

The difference in intent was obvious: whereas Chung had merely shoved her, she'd blown the side of his torso's protective plate clean off. His abdomen had been singed and horribly marred. He stumbled back on his heels, looking up just in time to meet the bright flash of the second disk as it struck his shoulder plate. His armor shattered under the concentrated explosion with enough force to lift him off the ground. Something stopped him from falling back, however. It wrapped tightly around his neck before he was violently pulled forward.

He struggled under the binding but quickly froze when he realized what it was: Eve's explosive whip. He had seen her use it only once during their first push through Velder's market district. He remembered how the hundreds of miniature explosives built within its nanoweave material was powerful enough to punch through armor and flesh alike, effectively severing whatever limb or support beam it was wrapped around.

Eve pulled him closer, each tug of her whip tightened his airway and he was forced to move forward in fear that she might just set off the explosives.

"So predictable!" Add laughed as loudly as his weakened state allowed. He limped over to the captured prey, stepping out from behind Eve. Chung was at Add's mercy now and the technophile knew it. With a simple gesture, Eve obeyed, bringing Chung to his knees before her king.

"You know, if you just went ahead and hit her when she got in your way, you would have reached me."

"I`d never do such a thing," the prince growled, rising to his feet.

A sharp pain filled him as Remy came in from a high angle, its spear driven in from his collarbone downward. He fell to his knees again, mouth agape as his body locked up from the wound.

"I know. And that's where you and I differ. You're too kind to hurt others you're close to. I, however, am not afraid to use them as stepping stones towards my ultimate goal.

"I'll n-never… stoop down to your level!" the prince heaved, trying once more to stand.

Another surge of pain as the black drone drove another spear through him. The end pierced straight through the prince, puncturing him through his right lung. He fell forward in agony, gasping for breath.

"Stoop down? Forgive me,  _your majesty_ , but is it me or you kneeling before their superior right now?"

The prince said nothing. He couldn't give up. Not here. Not when he was so close to saving her.

It was torture just trying to breathe. A third spear was driven into his chest, and another. He coughed blood as he raised his head towards Eve. Cyan eyes stared longingly into empty amber ones. There was nothing. The Eve he once knew was nowhere to be seen in those hollow eyes.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. He was losing so much of what he held dear and no matter how hard he tried, he could do nothing to stop it. Maybe Add was right. Maybe he had been worrying too much about others and never enough about himself to get anywhere worthwhile.

"You're not even worth my time, anymore. Now I can find my way out of this damned maze and kill everyone standing in my way… starting with that Ara woman. Eve. Finish him off," Add grunted, turning his back and limping his way to the trial's exit.

"Yes, my king," the Nasod replied.

This was it. It was over. For a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, he looked into those lifeless eyes, waiting to be executed. Never in his life had the prince ever expected it to end like this: standing face to face with death in the form of someone he was beginning to love. Was it love? It had to be. Eve may have been difficult to read throughout the years, and it may only have been recently since they actually began to understand one another, but for once in his life, he felt for someone who—at least he hoped—felt the same way back.

"No!" Chung thought as even speaking was impossible for him at this point, "I can't let it end like this! There must be something I can do to save her!"

He struggled to move, yet every bit of his body refused to listen. Every second, every moment that ticked by, his body slipped more and more into lifelessness.

And then, he saw it.

Rolling down the Nasod's pale cheek was a single teardrop. Despite the lifeless eyes that stared back at him, despite the pain that wracked his weakening body, no voice was stronger than Eve's silent plea.

Summoning all his strength, the young man took in one final, painful gasp of air. With his last ounce of power, Chung tore one of the four spears out of his chest, using the sharpened blade to cut clean through the whip binding his neck.

The single gasp was used to let out a powerful warcry, hurling the spear at the man, who turned just in time to witness the tip fly into his gut. Add stumbled back, disappearing through the gateway and immediately calling five of the six Dynamos surrounding Eve to follow after their master.

Only one Dynamo remained at Eve's side as she stood over the prince who had clearly used all he had for his final attack.

Chung fell forward, his vision blurring as the end settled in. All he could see was Eve's black boots. They didn't move and, for a moment, it was as if the Nasod was… mourning. She turned on her heel, the sounds of her boots growing more distant until they vanished entirely.

Everything else faded into black as death's embrace finally took him.

* * *

His life flashed through his eyes. Yet despite all that had happened in this perilous world, he didn't remember the moment the bone dragon that nearly killed his friends had he not been there to shield them. He did not remember the encounter with Eve in Altera's core nor did he remember the fateful meeting of Ara within the depths of the underground chapel.

He didn't remember the defense of Velder, the encounters with Chloe or even the very first run in with the demons with lightning stripes that swarmed Ruben's surrounding forests. Mud, Pet, Roger, or anyone else that he met during the journey had not found their way into the flash of memories that flew past him.

Instead, he found himself face down on the ground, the familiar taste of dirt in his mouth as a voice—his father's voice—urged him to get up.

"I can't!" he cried, his voice younger and full of fear.

"You can, Chung! I know you can!"

"I can't… father. I'm not strong enough… It's no use."

"Your majesty! If I may," Advisor Picklebottom could be heard muttering to King Helputt. He was pleading for his father to stop the exercise.

"No, no. Nonsense," Helputt declared, proudly, "He said he wanted to be a paladin then I'll do my best to make it happen. Best to start him off early, I say."

"But, your majesty, he's only ten! His strength hasn't even developed yet. You're being too forward with this-"

"Chung," Helputt's voice echoed in the stone training ground, causing the young man in the boy's body to flinch at the volume. "You want to be a paladin, right?"

"Y-yes," Chung squeaked, a mouse to a lion.

"You want to protect others like your old man, don't you?"

"Y...yes!" the prince pushed himself up on his feet, dusting the sand off his knees before attempting to pick up his practice destroyer. It… wasn't heavy. Not anymore. He had grown stronger.

"And you want to best your old man one day, right?"

"Y…" The prince hesitated, "No?" He heard the heavy footfalls of the fully armed and armored White Colossus approaching him. Confusion filled the boy as the prince specifically remembered not being able to lift the wooden weapon back in the day.

Helputt laughed, placing a large gauntleted hand on his son's shoulder. "I can't be the hero forever, you know. One day, you're going to have to take up that mantle. But, that's far in the future, Chung. For now, you've gotta set an easy goal for yourself."

The king faced his son towards his opponent, motioning at the squire to get ready once more. To his surprise, the squire wasn't another Hamelian. It was Add. Helputt gripped his son tightly on his shoulder. "So your goal for now is to beat this guy. You think you can do that?"

Chung didn't answer. He already knew he wasn't good enough to fight Add. The man didn't have the limitations of worrying about others like the prince did. For that reason, he was far stronger than the prince could ever be.

The king chuckled, "There's more to combat than strength, you know?"

Chung remembered this lecture. The young prince shut his eyes and let his father speak.

The king saw this and gave him a comforting smile. "It's about endurance, perseverance, tactical positioning and hundreds of other things that I have yet to teach you."

Yes… yes that was right. There was more to fighting than strength alone. And most important of all-

Helputt continued, "But the most important thing, above all else, is—"

"Heart," the prince mumbled, "The will to fight, no matter the odds… When every bit of your body hurts, and you feel that there's nothing more you can do... you get back up anyway and keep fighting. Whether I'm facing a bandit or the demon general himself—it doesn't matter who—when it's just me and my opponent, both broken and bruised, what's most important is that I rise to my feet and my opponent does not… right?"

Helputt nodded, beaming proudly at his son.

"That's the spirit, Chung. Now… I believe you have a job to do," the king said, giving him a single hard pat on the back.

* * *

The guardian's eyes flew open, as he took in a painful gasp of air. He was laying on his back, facing the cold stone ceiling. Blue light surrounded him, and it took him a moment to recognize the sensation of organs and flesh stitching itself back together. The feeling was brief, a horrible surge of agony followed by emptiness. The feeling of being skewered by spears quickly dissipated.

He turned his head towards his savior: the water priestess, who had her eyes shut and was lips uttering a powerful prayer.

"Sasha?" Chung coughed as remnants of blood was forced out of his airways, "What are y-"

"Chung!" the water priestess cried, lunging forward and embracing him, "You're alive! Thank the goddess… I thought I was too late."

He returned the tight embrace, sitting up as the healing light faded from around him. Quickly checking his injuries, he found the wounds had already formed into faded scars on his skin. Much of his Freiturnier, however, did not survive the Nasod's attacks. His arm guards were bent and disfigured. His chest armor was in shambles. What wasn't cut to ribbons by the rain of blades had been torn off by the concentrated blast from an electron ball.

"What happened to you? Was it the trial? Was it-"

"It was Add and Eve," Chung muttered, "Though the trial you described and what I actually ran into seemed far from similar to each other."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"You said during your test, you simply had to give long sermons for an extended period of time."

"Well… it wasn't exactly simple," Sasha argued.

"That's beside the point. When I stepped through the gateway, Add and Eve were in the process of slaying a shadow of a large Hamel Paladin. From the look of things their trial was far more hostile than the one you described."

Sasha sat back, thinking inwardly to herself, "This must be the corrupted source's doing. Whatever is powering these trials must have altered the way each test functions. Some may even be lethal…"

"Where are they?" Chung asked, searching for his weapons, and taking into account of everything he had on him.

"They…? I saw the two you sought walk through the portal. I thought it'd be you but when I saw one of them he looked like he was running from something. I hid until I saw a woman follow him to the last trial chamber before I decided to check on you here…"

"That was Add and Eve… Add… you said he was running?" Chung asked, checking the state of his Silver Shooters.

"Well… limping really. He had this horrible spike driven through his belly. I wanted to heal him but I wasn't sure if-"

"No," Chung shook his head, wiping the dried blood that clung to his lips, "It's a good thing you didn't. He's the one I'm after. And they're close to finishing the trials…"

Peeling back the remainder of the surviving plates off his chest, he found the white ribbon still safely tucked under the layers of metal. He pulled the rest of the chest armor off and stuffed the precious trinket into his side pocket before rising to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Sasha asked, scrambling back to her feet as well.

"I have to go after them. If they finish their last trial then Add would have access to the El Stone. And I'm not going to wait and find out what he's planning to do with it."

"You're going after them? But, Chung… What if you're hurt, again?"

"It's unavoidable. But as long as I can get back up-"

"What if you don't survive?"

Chung dropped his gaze, a sad, yet foolhardy smile slowly crossed his lips, "If I run now, I'd be a disappointment to myself and my father. This is something I have to do. Not just for my kingdom… but for Eve. She may be under Add's control… but she's still in there. I have to do something. I have to keep trying."

Sasha stared at him for a long moment, concern growing in her eyes. Chung, however, wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon.

"Well, if you're sure… But you still have two trials to go…" Sasha said, worry in her voice.

"I have to do the other ones still? I thought they already finished it."

The priestess shook her head, "You have to be present at the completion of the trials to pass them. You weren't there when they finished the Trial of Will so you must finish it first if you want to leave this area."

"Alright, I still have two trials to finish," Chung muttered to himself. He stepped through the gateway with Sasha tailing behind him, "If I show up to the third trial that might actually expedite their completion… but if I can finish the second one quickly, I can have another shot at stopping them at the third, ideally as they're finishing it… can you tell me anything about the Trial of Will?"

Sasha hesitated in the details, still concerned for the safety of her prince. "It's… a test of one's own sense of duty and mental resolve. When I went through the trial, I found myself stranded in a seemingly endless void, away from my friends and family. I don't know exactly how long I was stuck in there but it was as if the chamber knew how dependant I was on others and isolated me from them for days."

"That sounds terrifying," Chung replied, stopping at the central gateway, its energies ebbing at the approach of new visitors.

"But Add and Eve finished theirs in a timely fashion," Sasha said, in an attempt to reassure the prince, "Perhaps yours won't be too difficult, after all."

"It can be as difficult as it needs to be. I just need to make it out in time to stop them."

"Just remember your ultimate goal, Chung," Sasha advised, "Remember what you're here for."

"I will," Chung nodded.

"Good luck!"

The prince gave the priestess a thumbs up before steeling himself and stepping through the gateway.

* * *

The void surrounded him. Not even his footsteps echoed as he walked through the emptiness of the strange space around him. But he did not feel fear. Instead, an almost lonely feeling of nostalgia filled his senses. It was like finding an old toy thought to be lost many years ago.

Something appeared in the distance. Unable to discern its dull texture against the black backdrop, he had no choice but to advance. As the prince drew close, a cool breeze gently caressed him, welcoming him. The object was a log. As plain and boring as it appeared he knew exactly where he was.

He felt drawn to it. Stepping over the dead trunk, Chung set his weapons aside and laid back, leaning lazily against it with a content sigh.

He felt… at peace. Throughout the years of traveling, this particular spot was his favorite. Just laying there against the dirt calmed his anxious heart as he eventually drifted into the serenity of his nostalgia.

A view overlooking the small village of Ruben seeped into view and before he knew it, he was surrounded by the chirps of crickets as the moon rose slowly in the distance.

Elesis and Elsword could be heard arguing behind him as the other members of the search party broke into laughter. Chung did not feel alarmed. Rather, he welcomed the sound of voices. Happy voices. How long had it been since he had seen the others genuinely smile?

The orange flicker of a small campfire lit up the surrounding trees and a shadow was cast, indicating someone had risen to their feet and was making their way towards him.

"Thirsty?" A voice of a young woman said as the leaves crunched ever closer to him. Without looking, Chung extended a hand up from behind the fallen log he and a warm tin can was handed to him. The speaker shuffled over and took a seat on the trunk, her knee socks showing just enough of her dainty legs while the rest remained hidden under the wizard's robe tightly wrapped around her body.

The girl sat there with him, quietly listening to the trees rustle. The view was just as beautiful and serene as it had always been. Tiny lights from the village guard patrolling Ruben's main road could be seen from their favorite camping spot.

"This was where it all started," he remembered Elsword saying when Chung first visited the town. "This was where I met Rena and that annoying girl, Aisha. Now, with you, Raven and Eve with us, we can do so much more to help people in need! And when we're all strong enough, we can beat up those demons that destroyed your city. We'll work together to find your dad, and you'll be home again. Sound good?"

Chung sighed. If only it had been so simple. If only everyone had worked together like he had planned, maybe things would have turned out differently…

If only he hadn't left.

The young woman sitting next to him sighed, as well, in an attempt to garner his attention. He remembered this moment. He knew she was traumatized. She was deathly afraid of mice and it was those rats in the sewer she had been unfortunate enough to run into. He didn't want to console her. If he did… he would only be reliving a painful memory.

"Are you alright?" Chung asked. He couldn't help it. He looked up at the girl he had been afraid to lay his eyes on for the entire night.

"Just… just trying to clear my head is all. So much on my mind…" The girl closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. She was alive. As much as he knew to be true… his childhood friend was there, sitting right next to him.

Chung watched her for some time, waiting for her to say her piece. She didn't say anything but instead opened her eyes and stared down at the town.

"If there's anything on your mind, you know I'm here to listen, right?" the young man said to her softly.

"I'd rather not… thanks, though," she replied.

Aisha silently watched the town far below as a smile slowly appeared. This was surreal. It wasn't until she smiled that the young man felt his eyes well up.

"It's hard to believe that it's been over five years since I met Elsword and Rena down there," the girl said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands.

"Good memories or bad memories?" Chung asked, trying his best to keep it together. He looked at the cup in his hand and took a big gulp of the Hamelian red leaf tea. She knew what made him happy. She knew too well what would break his heart.

He could see the girl shrug at the corner of his eye. "Some good. Some bad." Aisha brushed a lock of her hair from her eyes as she let out another sigh. She looked over her shoulder back at their friends enjoying the warm campfire, purple eyes focusing on one individual in particular. "He's grown so tall since then…"

Chung didn't say anything. He knew who she was talking about. He knew of the tumultuous waters that kept the two from being together. If only Aisha knew.

Slowly she turned away, not getting a response from Chung she simply let the topic slide.

They both sat there looking up at the stars, each one waiting for the other to speak. Laughter erupted at the campfire behind them. It sounded like Elsword's big sister Elesis was teasing him, again.

"Did you miss me?" Aisha asked after the laughter died down.

"Yes." He still did.

Silence, again; longer this time.

"Have you been keeping up with the homework I gave you?"

"Of course... " Chung leaned forward, hugging himself as he remembered this night.

"Memorized the Ponggo alphabet?"

He didn't answer.

"Chung?" Aisha asked, leaning to get a better look at him. He was crying, "Chung, what's the matter?"

Chung didn't answer. All the while, he could feel the concern growing on the girl's face.

"I knew something was wrong… it's not like you to sit alone like this during reunions. Even Eve is with us this time… What's bothering you? You can tell me."

He could tell her. He could tell every single one of his friends his intent to leave. He knew that if he asked his friends for help, they would dive in just as foolhardy as he would. But would that even change the outcome? Would he even be happy with whatever happens afterwards from this change in history?

"Nothing," He said. A toddler could have picked out his lie.

"C'mon. You can tell your big sis anything."

Chung looked at her, his heart bled from those words. He must have looked as if he was in so much pain that even Aisha was starting to cry, too.

"I… I can't tell you. As much as I want to… I can't," Chung whispered.

A soft, warm hand caressed his cheek. So much life was in her touch that he pulled away, fearing how close he was to giving in to this moment.

"Why ever not?" Aisha asked, as the prince picked up his cannon and turned his back on her.

"Because," he replied softly, shutting his eyes, "It won't change anything… because I know… that you're no longer here."

He wanted to tell her goodbye. He wished for a proper send off that he knew was already too late to give. Chung didn't have to look to know that she was no longer beside him. Her presence was gone. This was only a trial, after all. Sasha was right. The Trial of Will tested his resolve. It took his deepest desire and tempted him with the reality he wished for the most: his family.

He stood there alone, his only company being the small campfire. No longer would the group of friends meet like this anymore. No more would he or many of the others return to their favorite camping spot ever again. This was his reality.

How dearly he missed her. But he couldn't let what could have been stop him from changing what was happening now.

Darkness surrounded the prince once more. A gateway appeared before him and, after taking a moment to recompose himself, stepped through.

* * *

Once again he was in the hall of trials. Sasha, who had taken to hiding behind one of the pillars that lined the room, quickly ran to the guardian's side.

"So?" she asked, scanning him for any injuries, "I take it the trial went well?"

The prince simply nodded.

"It wasn't anything dangerous or life threatening, was it?"

"No… no, thank El. It was just a bit of an emotional moment."

"Was it your friend…?"

Chung didn't answer but the priestess could see in his eyes that she had hit the nail on the head. His companion noticed the puffiness of his eyes and quickly moved in, giving him a tight hug.

"I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you. But you made it, Chung. Only one trial to go."

"Yeah," Chung sniffled, running an arm under his nose as he made his way down the hall's walkway for the third time, "Just one more trial to go… um. Before I step through this one, is there anything I need to physically or mentally prepare for? I'd hate to go through something like the previous trial again."

"It's… the Trial of Self Reflection."

"I can only guess what this one's going to be about…"

"It's a test of one's acceptance of self. The path dedicated to the Holy Lady is a lifelong commitment. When I went through the trial it took all my past ambitions-all the self-perceived potential that I had for myself and brought it to the physical plane. It manifested into a shadow that challenged my decision to dedicate the rest of my life to servitude."

"Like… some kind of monster?"

Sasha shook her head, "No. Not a monster more like… actually nevermind. It's rather shameful of a priestess to have such exotic ambitions."

"Sasha," Chung sighed, "My life depends on the information you give me. I need as much of an advantage as I can get if I'm going to take on Add and Eve, again."

Again, the priestess shook her head, "What my illusion was isn't important. The point of the trial, however, is how true you are to yourself. Any form of doubt, any regret you have, only fuels the shadow's strength. Freeing your heart from those shackles is the only true way to overpower the illusion and completing the trial."

"And… since this is the last trial, what can I expect to happen once I finish it?"

"The next time you step through the gateway, it should take you to where your father and the rest of our people are."

"You said that whatever was powering the source was corrupted… so…"

Sasha nodded, "Be prepared for whatever lies beyond. I cannot follow you. The trials might possibly be far too dangerous for me to handle and I-"

"I understand," Chung reassured her, "I'll shut down that power source as soon as I can and get you out of here safely. Hopefully with everyone else unharmed."

"I wish you luck, Chung."

"Thanks, Sasha," the prince said, doing his best to mimic Elsword's confidence as he slowly backed into the waiting gateway. He smiled at her and the smile was enough to visibly lift her spirits, "Stay safe until I get back."

"I shall!"

Chung turned to the gateway, and, after taking a moment to steel himself once more, stepped through.

* * *

Like the previous trial, Chung found himself standing in an empty expanse of nothingness. The air was heavy around him and each step he took echoed as if he were in a large acoustic room. There was a light source, though he wasn't sure where, as he was able to see himself clearly.

If Add and Eve had come through here before, there was absolutely no sign of them, now.

"Have they completed the trial already…?" he said out loud, almost startled by his own voice echoing back at him as if it were in a significantly smaller enclosed space. It was like talking into a tin helmet.

"Hello?" he called, unsure whether or not his voice even traveled past this invisible barrier around him.

"Hello?!" he called again, louder this time.

"Add? Eve?"

His voice echoed back to him. Though, to his confusion, it wasn't the same call for the others. It was directed at him.

"Traitor," his echoed voice said.

So startled he was by this, that the prince quickly spun around, looking for the source of the voice that surely sounded like his.

"Who's there?" he asked, drawing his revolvers.

"Traitor," was the echoed reply. "Traitor! Traitor!" The voice continued in a monotonous chant. Its voice growing louder in Chung's head.

"Coward!" another echoing voice joined in, "Coward! Coward!" Again it was his, yet it screamed at him with more power and force than the first.

They drew closer, each repeated accusation louder than the last until it became a deafening flurry of words that berated the prince. He could do nothing but cover his ears, yet it did little to muffle his own voice from lashing at him. The prince fell to his knees, shutting his eyes as his head throbbed in pain.

Then, just when Chung thought his head would explode from the sheer volume of the voices, a heavy clang of metal on stone echoed above the voices, silencing them instantly.

The guardian opened his eyes, sweat sliding down his temples. The voices stopped. But the prince became acutely aware of another presence standing before him. Slowly he raised his head, eyes catching the bright white plates of a paladin's destroyer.

Another heavy clang. Further away, this time. Turning his eyes towards the source, another figure stepped into view. Dressed in a white and blue Freiturnier that boasted large pauldrons and heavily decorated legguards, the figure came to a stop before the prince. At the figure's shoulders Chung recognized a highly modified destroyer known to be carried by Hamelian Troopers. He tossed a strange glowing orb up and down in one hand and fixated his cyan eyes disapprovingly on the prince.

It was himself. The hair, armor, and weapons may have been different but the definitive brown locks that tipped the spikey hair were characteristically Chung's.

Another heavy clang and he was reminded of the first destroyer that stood directly in front of him. Dressed in traditional Hamel Paladin's armor and carrying a heavily-plated destroyer, was another version of him. This one had longer, wilder, hair that gave him a wolf-like aura. Like the other doppelganger, this shadow stared at the prince in disgust.

"Stand, coward," the one dressed in a paladin's attire said, "and face our fury. You cannot escape your retribution, here. Not in our realm."

"Your disregard for the safety of others has lead you down the path of a traitor," the one garbed in trooper's armor stated, "You have no right to call yourself a guardian."

The prince rose to his feet, looking from one copy to the next. These must be the shadows Sasha had been talking about. What he was supposed to do with them, however, wasn't apparent and neither of the shadows seemed too happy to see him. He knew he had to overcome them, but how?

As if to answer his question, the paladin was the first to act, lifting his heavy destroyer, he quickly launched himself at the prince. Chung reacted quickly, raising his own cannon up to block the collision.

He was easily overpowered, however, as the paladin pushed past him, knocking Chung on the ground with such a powerful impact it felt as if his arms would shatter from taking the clash.

No sooner had he hit the ground did he have to quickly roll out of the way to avoid the paladin's follow up strike, bringing down the heavy cannon with an echoing crash.

The prince leapt to his feet but his eyes caught bright blue baubles rolling towards him. There was a brief flash before they detonated, the concentrated power of El in a container bursting forth and denting what was left of his leg plates.

The dust settled with the prince's arms raised defensively. The paladin was slowly making his way towards him and the trooper entered a siege stance.

"Alright," Chung grimaced, powering his revolvers. The fight was two to one, but he couldn't back down now. Everything was riding on his success in this trial. His father, his friends. Eve. He needed to push through, and he wasn't going to let some cheap copies of himself stop him.

"Come on, then!" the prince shouted defiantly, "Bring it on!"


	30. The Path I Chose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only one more trial stands between Chung and his father. But what of Add and Eve? Will he be able to stop them before they reach the end? What awaits the prince in the Trial of Self Reflection?

Two versus one.

In a normal scenario, Chung wouldn't have been too worried. However, he faced two other versions of himself. He knew his own limits, so that should've given him an idea of what the other two might be capable of, but neither of them carried the same weapons as he did. One shouldered a bigger, heavier cannon; the other had what looked like explosives and a heavily modified destroyer.

Despite the opposition, Chung showed no signs of backing down and stood at the ready with revolvers pointing at his nearest target: the paladin.

"The traitor wishes to fight," the trooper snorted at the prince's defiance.

"Good," the paladin grinned, "The coward has some spine, after all."

Just like before, the paladin used the force of his cannon blast to launch himself at the prince. Having already felt the bone shattering blow only moments before, he knew a direct clash would certainly put him at a disadvantage. The prince dove sideways, firing two well-placed shots into the flanks of the paladin's thick armor plating. The copy's Freiturnier held, leaving only bullet-sized dents on what would have been the paladin's ribcage. A bullet that would easily pierce through a Glitter Demon's shield bounced off like it was nothing.

Chung didn't have a chance to think, however as he witnessed the paladin change his trajectory. Using his body like a literal cannonball, the paladin expertly redirected his flight with another shot. His body withstood the immense shift in inertia and he came at the prince running.

Chung tumbled backwards, landing on his feet before hastily raising his own cannon to block. The heavy destroyer collided with Chung's in a seemingly unstoppable charge. With strength that easily surpassed his own, the paladin swung the cannon upward, effectively launching Chung into the air before turning the barrel towards his target and pulling the trigger. In that split second, Chung turned the barrel of his own destroyer at the paladin, firing off a wild shot that, to his incredible luck, struck the incoming cannonball and detonating it in the air mere meters away from him.

He was wrong. This copy was far stronger than he was. And he had to fight two of them.

Just as he was remembering the second copy, a shot rang out in the distance, forcing the prince to react once more. It was the trooper. Still sailing through the air, Chung drew his revolvers, looking to meet each incoming warhead with a bullet.

Focusing his El into a singular burst, the young man fired. The explosive force of hyper awareness filled his body once more and gave him just enough time to mentally mark his shots before letting the El coursing through him guide his shots.

The void they fought in flashed a fantastic display of blue and white. Missiles detonated as it took all of the prince's focus just fending off the trooper's cannon fire. He knew the copy's ammo capacity, however, and once the sixth cannonball was exited the barrel, Chung knew he could take the opportunity to draw a plan while the trooper reloaded.

The sixth missile was detonated, yet the guardian found no respite as the paladin clone came bursting through the blue cloud, catching the prince by surprise. Even while in the state of hyper awareness, the speed at which the enemy came flying through the smoke made it near impossible to react to. The paladin's cannon was already raised. It took everything in Chung's power to quickly lift his weapon and brace for the incoming blow.

The force of the downward strike caused his entire body to buckle from the force. With nothing below him, Chung was sent hurtling to the void's surface.

"It's over!" the paladin screamed, sending himself rocketing towards the prince like a missile.

Without even a moment to blink, Chung pushed off the ground, pulling the trigger on his cannon to send him in a direction; any direction, as long as it was away. He moved, but as the paladin came crashing to the ground, the floor beneath him crackled with energy before bursting outward in a destructive white flash.

He'd avoided it. Barely. But the assault was not over yet. At his feet were familiar glowing orbs that the prince had to quickly step away from. Grenades detonated around Chung, the force of each blast enough to knock him of balance and he struggled clumsily to avoid each of the glowing explosives that surrounded him.

Warheads zipped past him. So fast was each shot that his skin burned just from their proximity. Regaining his balance, the prince fired off another two shots, the first detonating the last of the volley of missiles and the second catching the trooper on the shoulder.

Yet, like an unstoppable train, the paladin emerged again from the smoke in another headlong charge. His cannon slammed into Chung before swatting the young man aside as effortlessly as an insect. Chung was sent flying back, but no sooner was he able to get his bearings did he spot the trooper flip his own modified destroyer around, mounting it on his shoulder and firing at the airborne target with a faster, deadlier round.

He was an easy target. Chung was helpless in the air. With no means to dodge, the prince's only choice was to block with his cannon. He braced for impact, and the missile met the hardened plating of his destroyer. The missile exploded in a cloud of red and, without any armor from his waist up, the immense heat seared at the young man's exposed flesh.

His body was sent tumbling to the ground. Far below, he spotted the paladin waiting for him. Was there no end to their attacks? He watched as the paladin planted the barrel into the ground and fired, sending a wave of creeping explosions outward. The El powered explosion ripped the void asunder crawling through the floor towards the helpless young man.

The prince hit the ground hard, heat and shrapnel tearing at him and he rolled to a stop with his face against chunks of broken void. He coughed smoke as he struggled to stand, bleeding heavily. The fight had just started and he was already at a loss. If only Sasha was here to heal him…

Footsteps. The paladin could be heard approaching him.

"You are weak," the paladin jeered, "You don't deserve to call yourself a prince. You don't even deserve to be called a guardian. Father would be disappointed at the man his son has become."

"What are you on about…?" Chung coughed, struggling to get back on his feet.

"You ran from your problems. You lied to your friends and ran from them to pursue your own selfish goals," the paladin replied.

"I was… doing it only to protect them," Chung muttered.

"You say that," the trooper replied, "and yet you betrayed their trust in you. You've willingly put everyone else in danger for the sake of a traitor."

"I had… no idea Ara would turn on us…"

"Your selfishness led to our good friend's death. He didn't need to die. Many of our men would have survived if you just let Ara suffer."

"I was only doing what I thought was right!" Chung screamed, fear from the truth evident in his voice.

"And look where it led you!" The paladin spoke with the ferocity of a wolf. "The El Search Party is no more. The once proud organization of nine of Elrios's greatest warriors is reduced to three! All because of  _you_."

"I… didn't want all of this to happen…"

"And despite all of this, despite all the wrong you've caused, you still chose to run from it all. 'Consider this my formal resignation from the El Search Party'? How do you even live with yourself? You are a coward! You are a traitor! Everyone would have been better off if you just never existed!"

The trooper and paladin were right. What was once an ever present thought in the back of his mind was now shouting him down and it tore at his sense of purpose like a chainsaw through paper. He had been lying to himself. For every mistake he made, for every life lost due to his poor decisions, he knew deep down they would always be there to haunt him. His will to press on was simply a means to run from the past.

And yet…

"What would you have done…?" Chung stumbled to his feet, gritting his teeth as he spoke in a low growl. El surrounded him in a blue flame as his will to fight slowly returned.

"Hamel's disgrace still wishes to fight," the paladin mused. He slammed his cannon on the ground as his thick armor shined brightly around him. The paladin's helm materialized over the man's face as a faint aura began to glow around him.

"It's fruitless," the other copy said, loading fresh rounds into his destroyer. The mask of a trooper formed around him. "You cannot win against the righteous."

Chung looked from one Seiker to the other, his head shaking at the trooper's use of the word 'righteous'.

"Your El," the paladin sneered, "the energies that fuel your armor, is built on vengeance. You bear the cowl of the chaser; the mask of a man who has done nothing but let misery fall upon those around them."

"You think so highly of yourselves," Chung muttered, exasperation and malice heavy in his breath. They thought themselves better than him. They act as if they had the right to judge. They were wrong. "You are me and I am you. Paladin, what would you have done the night I chose to leave the others to begin my journey to Hamel?"

"I would have told Elsword and the others my plans on retaking my home," the paladin announced proudly, his voice echoing in the thick helmet.

"And you'd be fine with endangering their lives for your own selfish goals? Would you be content knowing the ones you care for most are put in direct danger because of what you want to do?" The paladin didn't answer. Chung turned to the trooper.

"And you. What would you do if you knew Ara was suffering? What would you do if any one of our friends were subject to torture? What if Aisha was the one under Penensio's form of interrogation?"

The trooper's eyes narrowed. "Do not bring her into this."

"Would you let them suffer? Would you let her die for the sake of information? Would you be able to live with yourself knowing there was always another way?

"Would either of you have left the tower you were locked in despite being ordered to stay put to help the men and women fighting Avalanche? Or would you be the good selfless individuals you claim to be and wait for everyone to return? I chose to help. Despite being told to stay I chose to follow what I wanted and helped. Had I not been there to assist, would any of our friends have returned?

"When I went alone to face Ran, I did so because running would only guarantee his victory. Would you have done the same?"

The trooper shook his head. "Your act caused the death of Ai-"

"And what would  _you_  have done?" Chung's voice rose in anger, "Would you run? Like a  _coward_? Or would you make your stand like I did and fight?" The cowl he was mocked for bearing began to materialize. And he wore it with a humble dignity that stood in contrast with the bright plating of the others. Despite the broken armor, his Freiturnier was able to at least generate the hood over his head. His eyes crackled with energy but a mask did not cover it. This was the extent of his cowl. This was the best his armor could do for him. He was not going to back down. Not against these fools who were too blind to see the good intentions of his actions.

"Aisha's death was my fault. I know this to be true. It will be something that will haunt me to the end of my life. But had I not acted, I would have put thousands—no—millions of lives on the line once Ran reached Velder shores. Would either of you have fought like I have? Or would you have abandoned your home and waited for the demons to overwhelm the rest of the world? You're the cowards! You're the ones who would betray your own nation by inaction! I am not proud of what I had to do, but it's far better than the alternative!"

"Silence!" the paladin howled, his voice reverberating with a blast of El. So strong was the burst that the prince had to shield himself.

Cannon fire. As he lowered his guard he caught a glimpse of the paladin flying towards him. The prince stood his ground, swinging his cannon to meet the proud warrior's strike.

The collision of the two forces shattered the floor beneath them. The void around them crackled with energy from the sheer strength of the blow.

Yet as the blow landed, the paladin stared, wide-eyed in bewilderment as an equally confused prince stood before him. He had managed to stop the blow. No longer did Chung's bones feel as if they'd snap from blocking, and he was even able to follow up the strike with a mighty haymaker that sent the paladin stumbling back.

Chung stared at his gauntleted hand. Where had this strength come from?

A red warhead came at him and he quickly side-stepped the missile. It was slower. Much slower than before. The cannonball still came at a lethal rate but he had enough time to react to it unlike before. He fired his revolvers into the next incoming rounds before ducking and diving closer to the paladin. A warhead whizzed past the first copy and Chung quickly detonated it with a well placed shot, the blast strong enough to tear into the paladin's back and shoulder armor.

What was going on? His copies seemed significantly weaker than before.

As he searched for an explanation, Sasha's voice rang in his head:

" _The point of the trial... is how true you are to yourself. Any form of doubt, any regret you have, only fuels the shadow's strength. Freeing your heart from those shackles is the only true way to overpower the illusion and completing the trial."_

That must have been it. Even as the shadows berated him for who he was, he didn't back down. He understood that he acted with the best of intentions and despite all that had happened, despite all the horrible things that had befallen his friends, the alternative would have been worse. This was his best option. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

The paladin was on him once more, attacking wildly, and pulling the trigger of his cannon, sending a destructive blast with each swing. Each blow was met with an equal, if not stronger, counter strike. Each hit only slowed Chung's backpedaling until eventually the prince found himself pushing back against his adversary.

His strikes were stronger, more punishing. The bladed edge of the cannon bent and cracked the reinforced steel of the paladin's destroyer. Eventually the paladin could do nothing but block. Chung pressed on, kicking him back and throwing all his weight into the next swing.

"Finish him!" the paladin grunted at the trooper as Chung pulled the trigger on his destroyer, multiplying the might of the strike that cleaved the paladin's cannon in half.

The paladin was sent flying back, a deep gash across his chest. The copy let out a pained gasp as his head was thrown back and he fell lifeless on the ground before the prince.

It wasn't over, however, as Chung turned his attention to the trooper. A bright blue flare hung over the prince and before he knew it, a portal had been torn into the black void high above him. Missiles. Hundreds of them.

The warheads rained on the prince, forcing him to run out of the immediate area. He sidestepped the missiles as they landed, the flames of their explosions singed his skin and each blast ripped and flayed what was left of his armor and cowl. He raised his arms and his cannon, shielding his head and neck from the shards that bounced violently off his leg armor and ate at his sides and back.

Despite the rain of hellfire, the prince did not yield. Despite his burned and bleeding flesh he pressed on, closing the distance with the trooper that was just as surprised as the paladin was before the prince took his life.

The two Chungs clashed in a heated melee, his swings meeting with the trooper's and overpowering him. Unlike the paladin's strikes, the trooper's attacks were far weaker. But what he lacked in upfront strength, the copy made up with cunning melee combat that he did not expect.

Every other swing would be accompanied with an upfront explosion of a grenade. Be it flung at the prince's face or dropped at his feet, the copy mixed up each swing with a follow up that included one of his grenades. Not only did the prince have to worry about the direction the destroyer would come in, he had to move in such a way that would avoid the bright discharge of El that harmed and disoriented him.

The trooper managed to elbow Chung on the chin, sending him stumbling to the side before he heard the distinct sound of a cannon being reloaded. The prince recovered, diving the opposite direction as a close range warhead flew right under him. This was his chance. He rolled to his side, squeezing off two more shots with his revolver and catching the trooper in the chest and one on the head. The trooper's head was knocked back as a mix of blue and red punched through the other end of the thick helmet.

The trooper dropped his cannon, falling to his knees before landing lifeless face first before Chung.

He hit the ground with a resounding grunt. All that followed was the heavy clang of a modified destroyer as it rolled from the dead troopers hands. Slowly, the prince rose to his feet as he eyed the lifeless body before him. No movement.

The threat was gone.

His trial was over.

The trooper's body began to glow as its form began to melt in a blinding blue light. Another flash caught his eye and Chung turned to see the paladin's body following the same fate. Their body disintegrated into magical dust that suddenly rushed towards the prince's head in a funnel of pure energy. He was struck by the brunt of it and all the emotions, all the pain and anguish of the Chungs from another dimension filled him. He felt their regrets, their wavering resolve… their loss.

In the moment of this sudden surge of memories, he saw it all. He saw himself as a trooper, staring into the eyes of a good friend as the life left her as a certain high commander reassured him it was for the best. He saw his best friend, giving in to some unforeseen dark force and turning on his closest allies. He saw himself dying by his best friend's hand.

The prince saw himself as a paladin. He watched as Rena, Raven, and Eve, mutilated by the giant serpent that swam the waters. He saw Elesis absolutely helpless as she stood before the mighty Victor. He saw himself, standing alone at the shores of Velder, waiting as the horizon was covered by an immeasurable fleet of demonic ships.

Chung's feet left the ground as these memories of another world filled his mind. In a bright flash the void around him was sucked into his head and, as if waking from a terrible nightmare, the prince's eyes flew open and he sat up, finding himself within the dimly lit stone chamber that housed the third trial.

Had this really been a dream? Was the illusions all in his head? As he rose to his feet, his body lurched in pain and he instinctively brought his hand to his side, only to find his hand smeared with fresh blood.

He looked around the large chamber. The stone surrounding him had been torn asunder. Craters from the battle earlier still had dust settling and it appeared this trial had been anything but a dream. At the far end of the chamber stood the room's only gateway, its magical energies beckoning him closer, as if congratulating him for surpassing the trial. He should have been relieved. He should have been happy that he was able to survive, but he was far from it.

The memories that he felt in his head, the rush of emotion and pain… they were his - but at the same time, they weren't. They were familiar, but they didn't belong to him. His mind was a swirl of confusion as even now he struggled to remember which of his memories actually happened and which had been given to him.

These trials had been far more than mere illusions. Even the Trial of Will felt so authentic, even though he was aware it was all fake, he wondered if he actually could have existed in that reality. And here he stood, in a large chamber scarred from his fight with non-existent shadows. Even their manifestations had their own life story embedded within their memories.

"Were they illusions, at all?" Chung wondered, "Or were they something more?"

As his head swam in the murky pools of mixed and melded memories, his feet carried him towards the waiting gateway. As he stood before the ebbing waves of magic, he paused, taking a moment to recompose himself. His body was battered. His armor, all but destroyed. His El reserves were low-

The young prince dug through his belt pouches, pulling out a worn metal canteen. Its contents were less than a quarter now but he drank it all the same, quietly thanking Aisha for the parting gift. Despite all this, he couldn't stop now. Not when the way was clear. His trials should be finished. He should be in the clear. He had to catch up with the other two, save Eve. And kill Add. Sasha had said the area beyond could be anything. Perhaps another, corrupted threat.

He stepped through the magical gate, expecting to find himself somewhere new; perhaps standing before whoever was powering the trials. He expected to see perhaps a room full of demons with Eve perhaps in the middle of fighting to protect Add or even his father. Ideally he'd like to find himself back at the Hall of Trials and maybe have Sasha fix him up before he faced whatever lay beyond the test chambers.

To Chung's surprise—and much to his confusion—he found himself standing in the same aqua-blue room surrounded in stone with only a single inactive gateway at the opposite end of the room.

There was no one around. No Add. No Eve. No sign of nis father or any other life form for that matter. It was as if he was transported to an empty room by mistake. The gate was inactive, though, and it only added to his confusion.

He stepped towards the gate but was suddenly stopped by the sensation akin to walking into an invisible silk veil. Chung jumped back in surprise and stared at the empty room before him. He extended his hand, curiosity getting the better of him and, sure enough, he felt the same sensation, similar to a spider's web, once more.

The air around him shuddered at his presence and the faintest hint of movement caught his eye. It was a brief flash. Almost unnoticeable among the dull blue background, but he had definitely spotted something. His eyes focused on that singular point near the center of the chamber until another flicker of colors appeared for a fraction of a second in his peripherals.

He took another step forward, the invisible force grew heavier, the air around him began to quake violently. The brief twinkles of light had now manifested into silhouettes. Familiar, slender silhouettes that fought each other in a fashion similar to an agile dance. Five in total. But there was something wrong. Four of them were focused solely on one, and… that single shadow was losing. He could barely pick out the details but he noticed the long, flowing hair, the jagged spikes that billowed out from behind her like wings. His heart stopped.

It was Eve.

"Eve!" Chung called, fighting against the invisible force that grew in strength as he pushed through it. What was once a soft brush of fabric against his body now felt like he was deep in a sea of oil. Each step he took, each claw he made to pull himself through the thick barrier, only dimmed his surroundings. It wasn't until his surroundings were completely black did he feel his hand break through the other end of the field.

He pushed through, breaking the barrier as he came crashing into the void once more. The air was heavy with the scent of gunpowder and through the thick haze of smoke and bright flashes of plasma, he saw the black-garbed Eve being tailed by not two but four other enemies. Only one of Add's Dynamos was at her side and she still bore the same empty amber eyes. Still in her Queen's Throne form, the red display flashing at her side clearly read 36%.

Seemingly unfazed by the four she faced, she stood defiantly with her plasma blaster backing her. Two of them were clearly the other versions of Eve. One flew through the air, bright streams of white trailed around her as her drones generated a powerful field that sparked with energy, allowing her to remain aloft.

She was garbed in a white one-piece and a rather elaborate white and black fauld that fanned outward like a long, plated skirt. Long white boots that reached up to her mid thigh and black and white sleeves for her arms completed the outfit, giving her an almost angelic-like appearance that was enhanced by the bright holographic crown that rested on her forehead. Her hair was let down, unkempt, and flowed freely as she controlled the seemingly endless void sky.

Another simply trailed behind the other three, holding her long, billowing dress as she simply let her entourage of two other minions do her bidding. A strong air of dignity surrounded her and it was accented by the extravagant clothing she wore. It was a beautiful dress, fit for the highest of authorities; a dominantly white piece with a mix of gold and black trimmings and pink layers that would be the envy of any empress. The gold jewelry at her wrists and around her neck, as well as the white crown resting on top of braided and carefully kept hair only furthered the sense of status this Nasod held.

With the most subtle of gestures the other two unrecognizable Nasods closed in on Eve, hacking, slashing, and detonating grenades that exploded in a destructive flash of pink smoke.

The Eve he knew was kept at a constant defensive, every spark of energy that crackled between her black wings summoned countless portals and spears but their purpose was used entirely to block or impede the ever advancing rain of grenades, lasers, and blades. She spun around, commanding her drones to advance on the empress-like Eve.

They flew at her, spears at the ready, but with a simple snap of the empress's fingers, the modified Nasod blader that pursued Eve quickly teleported to his queen's side, generating a protective barrier that deflected and stunned Moby and Remy.

The empress's own drones took the offensive, slamming into their more vulnerable rear armor and cracking the hulls of Eve's faithful companions, forcing them to retreat in a heated game of cat and mouse.

During all this, the angel-like copy darted left and right in the air, nimbly avoiding each shot as her own companions swirled around her. Her blue wings sparked with electricity as strange prismatic crystals slowly appeared all around them. With the simple point of her finger, she fired a laser beam that bounced off one of the prisms, amplifying the single beam in both size and number. The beam darted around again and again, forcing Eve to quickly dodge left and right to avoid the heated plasma that came at her from all directions.

The seraph floated over Eve, watching with a distinct lack of emotion that dwarfed even her original. Pointing her finger at another prism, she fired several more times, multiplying and amplifying the light show. Eve was no longer able to keep up. Using what little time she had, she quickly generated a protective barrier around her that absorbed all of the lasers at once.

The seraph snorted before drawing red essence from herself and converting it into pure blue. She crushed the energy with the palm of her hand and pointed her open palm back at the stationary Eve.

After a brief moment to charge, a large laser beam shot out of her palm, striking the barrier with enough force to cause Eve to recoil instinctively from the impact.

The barrier cracked.

Through the splash of white energy that reflected off the barrier, Eve could be seen drawing the strange red energy from herself and using it to pump more power into her shield. A portal appeared over her and a new belt of plasma rounds were fed into her rifle as she tried to find her target through the bright light that tore at her barrier. She pulled the trigger, letting the string of plasma rounds fly wildly at the general area of her intended target.

The seraph did not relent, only moving when necessary and letting her own drones deflect the shots with their reinforced hulls with unbelievable precision. Despite all this, the two were at a stalemate.

With a quick gesture, Chung witnessed the prisms around the seraph gather around her palm, encircling it and generating its own flow of data.

"Amplification mode: activated," the words flashed in the Seraph's window.

She was going to punch right through the barrier and Eve. To make things worse, the empress had already commanded her minions to disengage from Moby and Remy and redirect their attention to the original.

Unbeknownst to the black-garbed Nasod, the other two had taken position behind her, weapons at the ready. She was completely surrounded.

"Eve! Look out!" Chung called, charging a magical bullet that struck the ranged minion in the ribcage before bouncing to pierce through the blader's leg.

The voice caught her attention, and she spun around, just in time to dodge a blade trained at her neck. The barrier shattered and the amplified laser beam struck the void in a massive explosion of energy. Thankfully, the blast just missed Eve, sending her flying to the side as everything that stood in the laser's wake was completely obliterated. The blader did not survive and neither did the Dynamo that followed Eve.

The black-garbed Nasod rose to her feet, and, for a brief moment, the amber eyes flashed a hint of familiar gold. It only lasted for that one moment, for as she tried to stand, Eve shut her eyes as she clutched her head, falling to the ground in what appeared to be a repeat of the tormenting pain she felt on the Black Crow.

She whimpered, curling to a ball on the ground. She looked to be suffering an insurmountable amount of agony.

"It appears whatever had befallen this abomination has subsided," the empress said, raising her dress so as not to trip over the elaborate white and pink lining of her hem. She strode elegantly towards the helpless Nasod on the floor, looking upon Eve who squirmed and whimpered at the Empress's feet. Tentatively she brought the tip of her gold trimmed boot to the suffering Nasod's cheek and raised her face high enough to get a look at Eve's face before pulling her foot away in disgust. "How uncouth. A clear representation of what is to become of us if we were to completely abandon our father's plan."

The seraph floated down to the other two's level as she merely regarded the empress's words with a nod.

The empress's second minion did not join them, however, and instead stood over the destroyed remains of the modified blader. The overly-dressed Eve pursed her lips, "You could have been more careful with our kind, however. You seemed to have destroyed Oberon in the process."

"A necessary cost. This one needed to be deactivated. You can produce more minions in your foundries," the seraph replied hollowly.

"But he was our personal servant," the empress argued, "One who has followed us loyally throughout the years."

"Irrelevant. Easily replaceable. Elimination of this rogue unit is paramount."

Chung clenched his hand into a fist as he listened to them speak. Who did they think they were, treating her like she was nothing but scrap? Did they have any idea what she had been through to even make it this far?

The empress snorted at the seraph's indifference but ignored her, turning to their new uninvited guest.

"Ah, Hamelian, it's good to see you are doing well… though we must say… the short hair does not suit you."

"Get away from her…" Chung snarled.

"Cease the hostilities, human. We do not wish to fight you," the empress replied, "We only wish to destroy this… abomination."

"Don't you dare call her that."

"Names do not matter," the seraph interrupted, "This rogue unit is below us and is not fit to carry on our father's plans. Look at her."

The seraph pointed at Eve who, at this time, had fallen unconscious. The red display flashed again as the exotic code corruption climbed to 37%.

"It's clear in her access to military-grade weaponry, the way she fights like an uncivilized brute," the empress continued for the seraph, "She is under the influence of the Nemesis code: a variation of the highly unstable and highly dangerous Exotic code. This was a last resort protocol implemented by our father should negotiations with your race fail. Clearly she had been forced to go through such measures, considering her predicament when dealing with your kind. She clearly failed in her mission to revive us."

"That's not true!" Chung argued, "Everything she has done to this day has been for the good of her race. You won't believe the sacrifices she had made to get where she is…"

"Is that so?" the empress replied, haughtily, "We have witnessed her actions; her deeds. We witnessed her destruction of the king's core; the genocide she committed. You say she did it for us, yet all her actions point to the well-being of a few individuals she calls her friends."

"Eve did that so we could safely get away! We owe her our life for what she did!"

"The moonstone she stole in Feita would have been a strong enough energy source to restore power to her still-dormant foundries. Yet what has she done with it?"

"She…she allowed us to use it. To make ourselves strong enough to combat the demons in Feita."

"Again, she chose to help  _humans_  over her own race. And what is she left with? After such a rare resources was put to waste on the Nasod's  _enemy_ , what does she even do to further our kind's revival?"

A memory flashed in Chung's head: Eve and Add picking through individual demon carcasses, searching for whatever resources had been left over so she could slowly rebuild her nation. Chung hadn't realized it until now… Eve had sacrificed so much of her time for the good of her friends. Even though she put on the air that she cared only for her race… she cared more about the people close to her. Chung's eyes softened as he looked at Eve's unconscious form. He had been so blind to the truth for so long. All the while she fought  _with_  her supposed enemies for the sake of a greater good: the preservation of Elrios. She didn't deserve this. These copies were wrong. She wasn't a mistake. She wasn't an abomination.

"Eve did it because she didn't want us to get hurt. We are her friends. And she is ours. In exchange we promised to help her wi-"

"Relationships with individuals is irrelevant," the seraph responded, "Her primary objective was to revive her race. She has failed to do so. And for that, she must be deactivated."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," the young prince said in a low growl as he drew his revolvers, "I'll protect her with my life!"

"You're too late, unfortunately," the empress said, standing between Eve and the prince, "Code: Battle Seraph? End her-"

The seraph gasped, catching Chung and the empress's attention. They both turned to see the seraph stumbling back as a black Nasod spear cleaved her right arm off at the elbow. Wielding the spear and still in the process of getting to her feet, was Eve. She stood, wobbling before the angel-like Nasod, still heaving painfully as she pointed the spear at her foe.

"Eve!" Chung cried.

Her lifeless, amber eyes briefly darted to him before turning her attention back to the Seraph clutching at the missing arm. She bled freely and was quickly forced to take to the air once more. Eve wasn't going to let her get away. Moby and Remy came to her side, quickly assisting her with her throw as she flung the spear at the Seraph, catching her at her torso and causing her to come crashing to the floor.

Rockets flew at Eve but Chung intercepted them with well placed shots that detonated them in a heavy blast of pink. She spun around, turning her full attention to the ranged minion that attacked her and summoned a fissure of spears that erupted from the void and quickly crawled to it. It forced the minion to disengage, peppering the landscape with grenades and explosives to stop the advance as Eve chased after it.

"Ophelia! To me!" the empress called as she moved to assist her minion. Chung stood in her way, however, and she was forced to call on her drones to block the incoming swing of his cannon.

"This matter does not concern you, Hamelian!"

"She is mine and I won't let you take her away from me!" He kicked her away, creating distance before loading fresh rounds into his cannon. As she stumbled back, Chung caught the same golden eyes as they stared at him, waiting for him to pull the trigger. He hesitated. Could he really bring himself to hurt Eve, even if it wasn't the same one?

The empress found an opening. Without so much as a word, Ophelia diverted her attention from Eve and fired her arm rockets at the prince. The empress's drones flew in, forcing Chung to disengage as he swatted wildly at the drones. The black one slammed into his side, creating an opening as the rockets came in, pummeling the ground at his feet and cratering the area in small holes that forced the guardian to immediately pull away from the empress.

Bright blue disks appeared in the empress's hands and she quickly flung them at him. Being all too familiar with these explosive orbs, Chung dodged and blocked the incoming electron balls before drawing his revolvers and training his sights on his adversary.

Once again, staring into those golden eyes caused him to hesitate and he fired, not to kill but to injure. The bullets whizzed by as the empress literally danced through the hail of gunfire, all the while her drones deflected harmful shots and continued to close the distance on the prince.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he bring himself to kill this copy? He couldn't think long, however as he had to deal with the black and white drones. He blocked their assault, swinging his destroyer to force some space between them.

A blue flash caught both of their attention and Ophelia burst into bits and pieces. Eve, however, had also been damaged from the fight. The Nasod dropped her hornet stinger as she fell to her knees, coughing from the explosive dust around her.

"No! Ophelia!" the empress cried.

These Nasods were trying to kill his Eve. He had to remember this. They deserved the fate they were receiving. The one standing before him was not the Nasod he had grown to love. This was just another cheap copy.

Doing his best to remember this trial's purpose, he bashed the nearest drone with the blunt end of his cannon, giving him just enough time to line up a shot at the empress. He pulled the trigger, the cannonball slammed into the empress, obliterating her at her chest before detonating and taking the rest of the surviving parts with her. What was left were only bits and pieces of a body he didn't want to see. Although the individual he killed was not his Eve… it was still Eve, nonetheless.

As the dust and smoke faded, he caught the black-garbed Nasod in the distance, stumbling over towards the seraph. The seraph turned her head weakly up to Eve and the Nasod quietly shook her head as the downed copy whispered to her. Chung could only catch the tail end of it as he approached Eve warily. Whether she was still a threat to him, he didn't know. But given how dangerous she was before, he couldn't chance it.

"You'll… never… be like us…" the seraph mumbled.

With her back still turned towards Chung, Eve ripped the spear out of the seraph's torso, swinging it to the side as blood flew off the bladed tip. She held it high over the seraph's head.

"And to think it was all I've ever wanted to be. Not anymore," Eve replied before driving the spear through the blue core on the Seraph's head.

The seraph's eyes widened before going blank as life quickly left her body. Eve fell to her knees. The last of who she had strove to become was nothing but a lifeless corpse now. She held herself tightly as a visible chill ran through the Nasod's body.

Chung's guard dropped. This was too uncharacteristic of the Eve he had fought against. The Dynamo that had been following her the entire time had indeed been destroyed. But in that brief moment when she attacked the seraph she still had those same amber eyes. But still… maybe… was it possible that… perhaps…?

He holstered one of his revolvers, reaching out to her as he slowly, carefully inched closer.

Chung gulped, afraid that any noise—anything that gave away his position—would only force him to fight Eve once more. But he had to know. He had to reach out to her, somehow.

"E-Eve?" His hand touched her shoulder.

In that moment her head was thrown backwards as her body rose into the air. Chung stepped back, shielding himself from the rush of air as Eve entered the state he was in after he defeated his own illusions. Blue dust from the remains of her other copies swirled around her. Her body floated higher and higher before him as the memories and experiences of her other selves came rushing to her. The dust coalesced around her, and her body began to glow. Like a growing flame, the magical energies surged, eventually turning into a bright flash. The spikes that fanned out from her back dissipated into data as she slowly floated back to the ground. Chung dropped everything, rushing to Eve as the void faded around them. Chung stepped closer, extending out to reach for her and catching her in his arms.

He knelt down, holding her as she looked as if she were stirring from a long slumber. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Beautiful golden orbs stared back at puppy-paw cyan.

"Chung…?" she whispered, confusion heavy in her voice. The sound of her calling him was the answer he had been looking for.

He couldn't speak. All he could manage was a nod; a simple, stupid nod followed by a tearful smile.

Eve blinked. Her eyes widened and before the prince realized it she threw her arms around him.

"Chung… Chung!" she repeated his name again and again. There was no hiding her emotions here. She missed him. And he missed her.

He returned the embrace, squeezing her tightly as the Eve he loved was back in his arms.

"I thought you were dead," she said, an ever-so subtle tremble in her voice.

"It'll take a lot more than that to kill me," the prince laughed, "And, honestly, I thought I'd never be able to hold you like this, again."

"I thought so, too," Eve whispered in his ear before loosening her embrace and sitting up before him.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Both were equally relieved and overjoyed to have something right happen for once.

"Oh… before I forget," Chung dug through his pockets and pulled out a slightly torn and singed white ribbon. "You forgot this when you pushed me off the ship."

Eve looked at the ribbon as the prince pinned it to her top. Its golden button shined just like her eyes. She looked at the young man, his eyes focused on buttoning it for her. A small, subtle smile crossed her lips. She no longer seemed to struggle with the idea of humans and keepsakes.

As he worked on pinning the ribbon, he felt a gentle, petite hand pull at his chin. He looked up and immediately felt the Nasod's warm lips against his.

It was soft, brief, and everything he had ever wanted. She broke the kiss, looking up at him and giving him a silent thank you for returning such an important gift.

He shook his head in return. Chung leaned forward and kissed her once more, quietly thanking the Nasod for returning something he felt was far more valuable than an old family trinket. She was back. He couldn't ask for anything more.


	31. True Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve was finally safe from Add's clutches, but Chung wasn't out of the woods yet. With Add's trial standing between the prince and his father, Chung has no choice but to bring the fight to Add.

"And that's how I found you," Chung sighed, leaning back on his sore arms as he stared up at the two drones circling overhead. Data from a pocket dimension cascaded in like little green droplets of rain as they mended Eve's injuries. It was times like these where the young prince wished he had the Nasod's ability to fix himself. In his current state, he was well at his limit. He had to take a breather if he wanted to stand a chance in the highly likely scenario that Add would be waiting for them just beyond the active gate.

The entire time he was taking a break, the Nasod sat in front of him, quietly listening as he brought her up to speed with everything that had happened since the fall of Hamel Castle. He had expected her to speak during his storytelling; perhaps add commentary about his plan to take Ran by himself or how he found Sasha. Yet as he described Ara's betrayal, Aisha's death, and his experience through the Trial of Will, she said nothing and opted to remain silent.

He wondered if she even cared about what he was saying. Her lack of input made it feel as if he was talking to a wall. Yet every time he took his eyes off the hypnotic dance between Moby and Remy above them, he saw that Eve was indeed still giving him her undivided attention. Chung continued.

"If I hadn't remembered what Sasha had told me about the trial, I would've surely perished. She said that I had to remain true to myself. That I had to rid myself of any doubt or regret in my mind if I were to succeed…"

Still no response. A quick flick down to see what the Nasod was doing revealed that she was still staring at him intently. She was listening… it just felt strange that she hadn't said anything the entire time.

"That's… why I said those things about you when I found you. Because I knew that the person you were now was all that mattered. It helped you overcome those other copies, didn't it…?"

The Nasod's brow turned upward, her lips forming in an almost unnoticeable pout. Was she upset? Was it something he had said?

"Eve…? What's the matter?"

The Nasod leaned forward, eyes never leaving his body as she timidly extended a hand towards him. Her fingers drew close and as they touched his chest, the prince's body tensed from the ghostly soft contact. Her fingertips brushed over his singed flesh and traced one of his most recent scars.

"I did this to you," she whispered, her fingers moved to another, and another, "And this… and-"

Her hand stopped at an older scar trained at his heart. She pulled back, bringing her hand to her chest as the stigma of her past actions caused her body to visibly shake.

Chung frowned and scooted himself closer to her. Stopping only when he sat hip to hip with Eve, he put an arm around her and pulled her close for a tight embrace that caught the Nasod by surprise. A strange sense of deja vu washed over him. He remembered embracing her this tightly the day after Mud's death. He remembered pouring his emotions into a heartfelt apology for the way he had treated the Nasod. He remembered musing how this form of contact would surely lead to Eve shoving Chung away and driving a spear through his chest. She would never purposely do such a thing. Where others would have surely been pushed away, it was fine as long as it was him.

Slender arms wrapped around him.

"I'm sorry," the silver-haired queen whispered. Her voice was flat; emotionless, but the way she hiccuped as she held the prince revealed anything but.

"You didn't do this to me. Add did," he reassured her. Her body was rigid and the closeness of his against hers only caused her to tense even more. It was only temporary, however, and it wasn't long before the tension slowly began to melt away. He felt her own arms tighten around him, her fingers trembling against his back. She was fighting a losing battle against her own guilt.

"Whatever he did to you," Chung continued, "was beyond your control. You did what you could on your end and I'm alive because of it. You saved me that day I fell off the Black Crow and I don't blame you for anything at all."

Chung felt the queen rest her head on his shoulder as she quietly considered his words. He listened as the sharp draws of breath calmed, felt as the twitch of her fingers ceased. Eve gave a single, drawn out sigh, and that was all her guardian needed to hear to know she was feeling better.

This felt nice. Serene. He could get used to this. He shut his eyes as he gently ran his fingers through her silver hair.

"It was like… I don't know how to describe it," Eve said after a long while. "Like a hallucination. A horrible anomalous hallucination."

"A nightmare?" Chung corrected.

"I… I believe so. I was in my body but had no control over its actions. I had access to all the physical senses but was unable to react to them. All I could do… was watch.

"Twice, I witnessed the life drain from your eyes. Each time I saw you desperately searching for me within mine… I tried, so hard, to let you know that I was here… That the person you were fighting for was still right here… I wanted you to forgive me; to know that everything that was happening was beyond my control."

Chung felt her bury her head against his shoulder. He heard a faint sigh escape her lips as her guilt ate away at her heart.

"I'm sorry, Chung," she whispered, again, after a long moment of recomposing herself, "I'd never wish for something like this to happen to you."

"It's okay, Eve. I forgive you. Like I said, it was something you couldn't help. I don't blame you for anything."

"And to think… this was the best outcome out of the other two."

Chung's brow furrowed, pulling away slightly as he looked at her. She kept her gaze downturned and he noticed she was holding back tears.

"Other two?" Chung asked, gently brushing away the water that welled in her eyes, "You mean…"

Eve nodded, clutching his hand in hers.

"Code: Empress and Code: Battle Seraph. Upon slaying them, I received their memories. Everything they learned, everything they had seen and felt was recorded in my core. It was… strange. It was like living two other lives in those brief moments before I awoke and found you."

Chung had witnessed this phenomenon. He saw the way the blue fragments of El surrounded her; funneling into her mind. He had the same experience as well. Everything the other Chungs knew from their own reality, everything they have felt, seen, and more, was embedded into his memories.

"I… didn't make it very far as Code: Empress," Eve said, apprehension and uncertainty in her voice, "I lived a more regal life. My influence as the Nasod race's ambassador brought unity for many of Elrios's nations. I remember continuing to build an army through the foundries… and a strange anomaly that would never leave in the back of my mind. It wanted me to turn on the others. To militarize the rest of my production facilities and to take over the entire continent."

"Just like King Nasod," Chung muttered.

Eve tensed as he mentioned her old creation. Still keeping her gaze away, she nodded.

"The corrupted core that I melded with was slowly changing me. It lead to the creation of Oberon, and later, an upgraded version by the name of Ophelia. They served as my assistants but required more of my consciousness to function. They became the violent outlet of the corruption that affected me, only appearing to carry out my militaristic intent when diplomacy was not an option… and they did so with horrendous brutality. Despite their effectiveness I still wanted more. Development of a more powerful, more efficient killing machine had begun in my foundries, and I couldn't stop myself from building him.

"I knew I had to get rid of the corruption somehow but it only grew worse… and the only temporary fix was to distract my mind in battle, which was why I willingly joined your cause to reclaim your home. In my mind at the time, I felt if the demons didn't destroy the El Search Party, I eventually would. I couldn't let that reality come to fruition and found my solution in the form of reckless suicide. I remember my last moments: a long bridge… a large beast… the death of Raven and Rena. I knew that with the beast still alive, we would not reach the objective. I willingly sacrificed myself. One by one my companions fell until all I can remember was seeing my feet leaving the ground and a line of teeth closing around me. In the distance, I see a train of five remaining transport cars. You were among the few that survived."

Chung's memories aligned with hers. As a paladin he remembered telling his friends of his plans to attack Hamel next. How they followed him not on the Black Crow, but in a caravan. He remembered them arriving at Resiam and being tasked with liberating those caught in the blockade…many didn't survive the bridge crossing.

"And… as Code: Battle Seraph," Eve seemed far more hesitant to go into detail about this one.

"If you don't want to talk about your death, I understand-"

"I didn't die," Eve said.

"But… I thought you said that this was the best outcome?"

"I didn't die," Eve repeated, "at least not for a long time. But during my lifetime, all I felt was loneliness. I lived a long life. One that continued on for centuries. One of my distinct memories over the years, functioning as the core of Altera, was of you."

Chung blinked. "Of me?"

"You banished me from the El Search Party."

"Why would I ever do that?"

"My indifference towards others. My inability to understand the cost of our friends over the cost of efficiency. Raven and Rena almost lost their lives by my hand. The last time I saw you was when you told me to leave… and to never return. Everything afterwards was monotonous maintenance and defending my code."

"Defending it from Add?"

Eve shook her head, "Add had vanished long ago. It was several years after Velder fell to the demon horde. Someone else sought the blueprints to several of my creations."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure. But they were cunning. Able to bypass my security undetected until they were standing before me with the blueprints of my latest designs for military-grade units. I tried to stop them but… strangely, they eluded me through the use of some kind of rift magic."

"Rift magic…? What happened then?"

"Nothing. That was the last I saw of them. My life continued normally until my nearly infinite ability to produce war machines was no longer able to keep the demons at bay."

"Even an infinite army of Nasods was unable to stop those monsters," Chung muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"The same demons that occupied Hamel eventually overran Velder. With the world's strongest nation brought to its knees, the most logical response was to dedicate all my resources to defending my floating kingdom. But by then it was already too late. The other nations quickly fell and my indifference to their demise ultimately led to my own downfall. I may have lived a long life, but it was one spent locked within my own kingdom. There was no one else."

"What happened to all of our friends…?" Chung asked, though he already knew the answer.

"I don't know. Through my network of Nasod spies and surveillance I was only certain that the El Search Party left for Hamel and none returned. Even then, upon learning of your demise, I felt nothing. You all had become nothing but a list of names marked under deceased.

"Battle Seraph was everything I strove to be: effective, efficient, indifferent to the wants of other races. But experiencing all of it first hand felt so… wrong. If it meant trading the people I cared about… then I would want no part in it; especially if it meant losing you."

As she was speaking, Chung connected the dots with his own received memories. As an empress, Eve was among the first to die during the start of their Hamel campaign. Chung came back to Velder alone as the paladin. It wasn't long until Ran's army invaded and the paladin met his end defending the shores from an army that covered the sea with demonic ships.

He couldn't imagine her as the empress, where she would be forced to constantly battle the urge to take over the world.

As the seraph, he was the trooper. Something had overcome Elsword. Something sinister fueled his lust for battle, and when the demons couldn't satisfy his desire to fight, he turned on the others around him. Eve wasn't there. Banished to her floating island, Eve never saw their demise. Nor would she have cared. The seraph he knew in his memories had to shut down her emotional programming to bear the strain of her advanced coding.

He couldn't stand an indifferent, unfeeling seraph who would easily let her friends die along with her enemies.

The Eve that sat in front of him now was far different from the other two. She acted on her own desires. She had an independent mind, one that wasn't shackled to a primary directive or corrupted by a virus. She was her own person and he could see it easily as she stared at him.

Chung blinked.

Eve was staring at him. She did this often but this time there was something else in those longing eyes. She was expecting something. Something he couldn't quite understand and, it seemed, neither did she. If it was a kiss, she would have simply done it as she had been taught to do so, but she made no such move. Instead, she looked on, watching. Waiting. Biting her lower lip. Whatever it was, Chung felt his heart begin to flutter and he suddenly felt the urge to look away.

"Chung…" she whispered, her hands gripping his arm.

"Y-yeah?" he stammered.

The guardian was at a loss of words, yet again. He could sense Eve tilting her head at him curiously. He could feel the way she subconsciously tugged at his arm, pressing it against her chest as she drew closer. Doing this caused his hand to consequently slide against her inner thigh. The contact was brief: a bare hand brushing against the smooth exposed skin above her black thigh high boot. Eve didn't even seem to notice, but it was enough to force the young man to immediately pull away from her. The prince cleared his throat, trying to find a new subject to change to.

"H-how are you doing, by the way? Finished repairing?"

"Yes," Eve said, her voice hinted with confusion, "But I'm more concerned about your well-being. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah…"

She didn't seem too satisfied with that answer and she waited for him to elaborate. He didn't. Eve dropped the subject at that point.

"Some of your flesh seems to be burned."

"It only hurts a little."

"The Empress copy broke one of your ribs, as well."

"Is it really broken?" Chung ran his fingers over his chest area and, sure enough, felt a sharp pain as his fingers felt loose bone along his right rib cage. "Oh yeah… that's going to need some tending to."

"I'll go in your place," Eve suggested, "You should wait here until I return."

"No can do, Eve. I'm not risking you going alone only to have you hacked, again."

"During my uncontrollable state, I've managed to at least study and monitor the trojan Add has inserted into my code. I've since deleted the program. Should he attempt to control me with his Dynamos again, he will have to get past a stronger firewall… that is, if he manages to do so while I'm killing him."

"I'd still rather be there with you. Two is better than one, after all."

"With your injuries, you would only be a liability in this situation," Eve answered flatly, dusting the rubble off her dress as she stood.

Although she was being rather blunt about it, Chung had gotten used it by now and took no offense to what she said.

"That's why I have a proposal for you: fix me up," Chung said as he painfully rose to his feet as well.

Eve tilted her head. "Fix you up? You mean…"

Chung nodded. "You did it before. And it's only just to tide me over until this whole ordeal is dealt with."

"But you were unconscious when I reattached your bones. I wouldn't recommend it now that you're awake."

"I can handle it."

Eve looked hesitant at the suggestion. "I don't doubt your high threshold for pain… but it's more because I don't want to hurt you again."

"And I don't want to sit idle when I can be helping. So I'd rather you do this than go without me."

The Nasod quietly looked him up and down while the guardian put on his most confident smile for her.

She sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder before extending a hand towards him. Moby and Remy flew over the Hamelian, tracing a white circle in the air that morphed into a portal. Data flowed from the pocket dimension and Chung watched as Eve focused her attention on the broken bone. Her eyes flashed blue as he saw a multitude of zeros and ones scroll through her pupils.

Then, squeezing her hand into a fist, the pain began.

It was like needles. Thousands of needles piercing the tissue underneath his flesh. Chung's body locked up as he felt the needles push and prod at the loose fragments of bones.

"Don't move," she warned, "It will only make the sewing process more difficult."

"Right," Chung said through a stifled whine, "Sounds easy enough. How long will this take, exactly?"

It was like each individual needle was pushing through the marrow and cartilage of his ribcage. He could hear the tissue rattle around; the sound of metal being inserted into place with a muffled "pop". He could only imagine what it must have felt like if he was conscious during Eve's first attempts at this procedure.

"Not long. I've finished the reattachment process. All that's left is to reinforce it."

She had him at her mercy at this point. It took Chung everything he had not to keel over from the ever-present pang of nerves rubbing against each other. To say it hurt would be a drastic understatement. He could feel the tissue under his skin shift and stretch as the alloy formed a protective casing around his bones.

Finally, she lowered her hand, brushing the locks over her cone-like ears as she looked him over.

"Done?"

She nodded. "Was it painful?"

"Nah… it wasn't so bad," the prince said, trying way too hard to hide his discomfort of feeling reattached bone rub against each other.

"Are you sure…?" Eve asked out of genuine concern.

"Yeah. I'm all fixed up and ready to go."

She never took her eyes off him as Eve was clearly confused by his words not matching his facial expression.

"Alright," she relented, turning her head in a way that only allowed the prince a fraction of a second to catch the pout crossing her lips. Now he felt like a jerk for lying to her.

Eve stood before the gateway, tentatively inspecting the magical waves that rippled under the arch.

"Either we reach the end of the trial or we run into Add still going through his. Though I doubt he's still alive given his condition."

"He lives," Eve stated.

"How do you know that?"

"I've only been recently severed from his control. The Dynamo that was destroyed was my only link to him and I've learned their ability to function is drawn from the human's brain waves. If he dies, the Dynamos die with him. The fact that it was still functioning while I was fighting the other Eves means he is very much alive."

"Right… so assuming he hasn't passed his trial yet, we can kill him before he has a chance to retaliate-"

"Would it be wise for us to kill him during his trial?"

"I'd think that would be the easiest and make the most sense, yeah."

"Would the gate function even if the person undergoing the trial dies?"

Now that was a question he couldn't answer. He remembered first stepping into Eve's test room and noting the inactive gate as her trial was still ongoing. If Add was still alive, that meant he would still be fighting the other Adds. Would his death end the trial or trap them in the chamber?

"What do you propose we do, then?" the guardian asked.

"You may not like the sound of it," Eve responded, looking at him over her shoulder.

Chung let out a long, drawn out sigh, "So we help him until the trial is over. Afterwards we kill him, right?"

Eve nodded. The guardian didn't like the sound of the idea, but without Sasha to clarify what would happen, he couldn't risk trapping himself within some deep underground testing room for an indefinite period of time.

"Alright. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry," he grumbled, shouldering his cannon and drawing a revolver. He stopped at the gateway, standing next to the Nasod as they both braced themselves for the unknown. "Let's do this."

Chung stepped through first. The gateway's magical field rippled around him as he stepped through.

Stone walls of a large room surrounded him. The same, faint blue light illuminated the seemingly empty chamber. An inactive gateway stood at the opposite end of the room. They were in another trial. It had to be Add's.

Eve's form appeared next to him, her faint features growing more tangible as she stepped into the room. Moby and Remy followed and they both flicked on their headlights to illuminate the dim surroundings.

"Where is the human?" Eve asked, her drones sweeping the empty chamber in front of them.

"He's here," Chung replied, quite sure of himself as he remembered the same experience when he entered Eve's test chamber, "We just need to step closer to the center."

The guardian noted a light distortion in the area in front of him. As the headlights passed through this thin veil, he immediately recognized it as the same force that tried to keep him from interfering. Add should be beyond this invisible wall.

He took Eve's hand, guiding her towards the center as he extended his free arm forward to push away the veil. Just like before the sensation of walking through a thin curtain could be felt all around him, and sure enough, the brief glimpse of movement caught his eye.

It was different, however. Where Eve's trial was all over the room, this one was stationary. As he pushed his way through the thickening barrier, he could see the faint image of three silhouettes at the very center of the room. Two were standing. The other knelt before them, clutching at his stomach.

"Chung…" Eve called, garnering his attention. He looked back and found the Nasod struggling to keep up from the barrier's repelling force. Chung paused, pulling her closer with much effort and holding her by her hip.

"We're almost there," Chung said, taking another step through the molasses-like field, "You can see him, right? It looks like he's in trouble."

"I can," Eve nodded, "Remember our objective."

"Don't kill Add. Kill the copies, first, right?"

His arm broke free from the invisible field. As he clawed his way into the void, he pulled Eve through as well. Her drones squeezed in, shutting off their headlights as they all witnessed the scene in front of them.

The technophile they knew was at the other two's mercy. Far unlike the well-dressed mastermind, his copies looked far more sinister and far more unstable than the Add they knew—a feat Chung once thought impossible.

Standing to Add's right was a man dressed in a purple long-sleeve button-up with a black vest and a pair of black slacks. He had a more muscular build compared to the others, with a stance that exuded reckless confidence. His dynamos, a sextuple of Nasod daggers, hovered around him as if connected to his body by some invisible solid force. Every move he made, every breath he took caused the six drones to move as if they were a direct extension of his own body. His hair was short; tapered white layers that were topped with spiked, unkempt hair. The fingerless gloves he wore had metal sensors at the knuckles. They crackled with energy, each spark of electricity mimicked by the Dynamos that flanked his corresponding side. He grinned at the Mastermind with such malice and psychotic joy—the expression of an absolute lunatic.

The second copy wasn't standing. He was floating. Though not as built as the other two, his body seemed to twitch with a more subtle form of instability. His hands seemed to act as if they had a mind of their own, clenching and unclenching sporadically. This unintentional tick of his body was hauntingly juxtaposed by the calmness of his face. His Dynamos weren't machines any more, but were instead made of strange black crystal shaped into wicked spears. The copy's body was covered by a strange black cloth. Layers of leather covered his torso which housed a familiar purple gem at his chest. It was Dark El which flowed with demonic energy, causing the very air around this esper-like figure to distort and crack from his very presence. The figure's medium silver hair flowed freely in the distortion. Through the bangs, Chung could see that his eyes were as black as the void surrounding them. Unlike the lunatic, this one bore a different sort of malice: one of solemnity and exasperation.

"We have to help him," Chung whispered, drawing his guns, "Pick a target and stick with them. We should be able to take them one on one-"

"So, your assumptions were correct," the lunatic's voice was filled with venomous excitement that lilted as he spoke, "The failure has lost control of our prize… yet she willingly comes back to us."

"It wasn't an assumption," the esper responded in a tired, melancholic tone. He turned to face the new visitors. "I saw this particular event occur through many strings of reality. Their arrival in this particular string was inevitable."

"Inevitable…" the lunatic fought back a sinister cackle, "And what's the best way for me to go about taking back my prize? Will she follow me, willingly like a good girl or… does she put up a bit of a fight? Personally… I prefer the latter." The lunatic cracked his knuckles, causing his Dynamos to spark with energy as he turned to them. He paused, looking over the Nasod standing in the distance. Chung saw the man's eyes travel up and down her frame.

"Oh…" the lunatic's voice trembled as he took in the sight before him, "I think I like this one." He licked his lips hungrily. Chung instinctively stepped between the two. "Unlike the one in my world, this one looks like she's ready to cause a little… chaos."

"Don't get too confident," the esper cautioned, all too aware of Chung and Eve who were clearly listening to him as well, "That's all the warning I can give without causing a time paradox."

"Right," the first copy cackled before striding over to the two invaders, "All I have to do is kill my only obstacle… Oh… but how to do it..."

As he advanced, his fingers twitched excitedly. Electricity sparked between his knuckles and the grin only widened as Chung continued to stand between him and his prize.

"No armor, my Hamelian friend? That would make tearing you limb from limb too easy! Oh… oh, oh, no. No, no! Maybe something slower… how about breaking every bone-yes… I like that idea. Yes! Your destruction will be… beautiful."

This was different. Looking at the original Add, he was in no condition to fight… and the other copies appeared as if they had little to no intent on actually killing him. What was going on? Where Chung's and Eve's own copies openly sought their original's demise, these ones looked as if they had something else in mind.

The lunatic drew closer, Chung remained on guard, clutching a revolver in one hand and the cannon in the other, he was ready for anything the copy would throw at him.

Or so he thought.

The dynamos lit up with electricity, forming a temporary gateway that the lunatic dove into. No sooner had he vanished before Chung did he reappear at the guardian's left. A powerful blast of telekinetic force erupted from the dynamos as the lunatic threw a punch into the projected circle that transferred and multiplied into enough force to send the prince flying to the right.

"Chung!" Eve called, immediately sending her drones to deal with the their assailant.

The lunatic smiled at her before his weapons flashed again, causing him to disappear before her drones could respond. He reappeared in front of the guardian's flight path as electricity coursed through his entire body. His dynamos lit up brightly and power surged through them as they formed an invisible kinetic field in front of him.

Still mid-flight, the prince righted himself, drawing his revolvers and sending a hail of bullets towards his target. Chung's flight slowed and he eventually hit the ground running at the copy.

To his confusion, the rounds pinged and reflected off the lunatic. His dynamos generated a defensive field strong enough to absorb and reflect each shot with telekinesis alone. The lunatic's knuckles arced with electricity and he took a fighter's stance, cracking his neck as he waited for the prince to draw closer. The sparks of power traveled to his feet and, with a powerful kick, he sent a wave of energy that slammed into the guardian's chest.

The copy laughed maniacally, kicking again and again. Each wave caused the guardian to stumble. With every consecutive strike, the prince's charge came to a screeching halt until he found himself falling back on his heels.

Blue disks curved past Chung as Eve provided support fire. The lunatic saw them coming and with so much as a twitch of his body, he phased in and out of existence past the incoming balls of plasma, closing the distance towards the prince before landing a strong telekinetic uppercut that sent the poor young man airborne.

Eve's assault hadn't ended and as Chung's feet left the air, she stomped the ground, causing numerous spikes to burst upward towards her target. He sidestepped the incoming wave, and dodged another three spears that were thrown at him. One nearly hit its mark, its sharp edge tore through his black vest, cutting a shallow wound over his chest. Yet, despite the close call, the lunatic looked as if he were enjoying it.

In that moment, the copy teleported right in front of Eve. But he did not attack her. Instead, he extended his hand towards her, running it gently along the soft curve of her jawline.

"You're as gorgeous as ever," he whispered, eyes locked on the blue core on her head.

The queen stepped back, giving him a resounding slap across the face that partially spun the lunatic's entire upper body from the sheer force of it.

"Don't. Touch. Me. Human."

Slowly the man righted himself, licking the blood from the cut on his lip. His breath grew heavy, and he seethed through his teeth as the sting only seemed to fuel him. But he wasn't angry. He reveled in the pain. The lunatic smiled at her.

"Yes… that flame in your eyes, that ferocity… magnificent… alluring..."

"Get away from her!" Chung called, cannon raised in a downward strike.

His dynamos flashed around him and in a blink he was gone, re-appearing above Chung still on his descent back to the ground.

The prince fought back, throwing a wild punch that the lunatic easily dodged before countering with a telekinetic strike across Chung's head. The copy's gloved hand pushed through the field and he gripped at the young man's face, holding it down as they plummeted from the air.

Chung screamed into his palm as his awakening aura was ignited once more. This caught the lunatic by surprise and before he could react, the prince gripped him at the throat. With his free hand, he gripped the cannon on his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The force of the recoil flipped the two, putting the prince on top just in time as they came crashing to the ground.

Add's dynamos reacted, creating a telekinetic cushion that his back collided with and creating a gigantic shockwave on the floor under him. The prince lost his footing, giving the copy ample time to kick the guardian off him and get back on his feet.

"It appears this Chung has a few tricks up his sleeve," the lunatic said between excited breaths as he circled the prince, "A lot more unpredictable than the long-haired version from my world, that's for sure. A destroyer… two guns… No… you're not the same ape who boasts stupid ideals. You've seen things… haven't you? You've lost… like I have lost. And the only thing that drives you, now, is vengeance!"

In that moment the memories of Add taking Eve from Chung flashed in the prince's mind. He remembered Ara's betrayal, the look on Aisha's face as she hit the floor bleeding.

"Yes! Those eyes!" the lunatic exclaimed joyfully, "Ah… it's like looking into a mirror. The helplessness… the pain… the need… to kill those who have your world from your fingertips."

"You're wrong," the prince growled, glancing at Eve. He said not a word to her but Eve knew what to do. "My purpose here is more than simple vengeance."

"Oh? Is that right? Aren't you here to 'kill Add'? I've seen the… horrendous thing the failure of this dimension has done to my prize. And though it loathes me to defend him, I'm afraid he is far more useful alive than dead. So you'll have to go through me."

He stopped circling him, opening his arms wide as if challenging the glowing young prince. "You're here for vengeance, correct? As am I. Show me the chaos you can bring!"

A rocket flew at him from the side and his weapons immediately moved to receive it. With a crack of his electrified knuckles, the copy detonated the hornet stinger missile mid-flight. Its burst of hot white and blue smoke crashed around him as he stood within it defiantly.

"Now, Eve, I know it is in your nature to destroy… but this is a matter that must be settled between men."

Eve ignored him, calling on her drones to summon her weapon of choice. The blaster materialized in her hands and the delight in the lunatic's eyes only grew. Eve sprayed the area with molten plasma and the copy immediately changed to a defensive stance.

Chung joined in the crossfire, firing a relentless volley of bullets from the lunatic's flank. His dynamos tried to repel the onslaught of plasma and El rounds but the barrier they produced began to crack and distort. A dynamo was struck and it flew from the rest, exploding in a flash that immediately forced the copy to take action.

The remaining dynamos flickered, relocating him next to Eve and forcing her to redirect her fire. But as she turned, the lunatic slid a dynamo into the trigger slot, preventing her from pulling it. He ripped the blaster from her arms, tossing the heavy weapon aside and ducking just as Remy flew by. He spun on his heel, sending a telekinetic blow from his elbow that struck Moby before the black drone could reach him. He followed it up with a heavy kick that cracked the drone's rear hull, sending it sailing in the opposite direction from its mistress.

Eve responded as electricity arced around her, surprising the lunatic as his body locked up from the surge of energy around him. A bullet caught him by his side, punching through his arm and continued through his rib and out the other side. Chung had his smoking revolver trained carefully as to not hit the Nasod standing next to him.

"I said get away from her!" Chung growled, slowly making his way to the lunatic.

The shock subsided and the lunatic fell to his knees. Another shot rang out and the copy's dynamos were there to respond, this time as he surprisingly rose to his feet once more. His teeth were gritted in a sinister sneer as his eyes turned to the prince approaching him.

"How… dare you interrupt… such a tender moment between Eve and I."

The lunatic clapped his hands together as his remaining five Dynamos crackled around him. Energy coursed through them and quickly channeled into his fist.

"Eve," his expression softened as he turned to the Nasod, "This will only take a moment, dear. Forgive me."

Before she could react, the copy planted his fist into her gut. If the blow hadn't stunned her, the sudden high voltage surge that erupted from his fist did. The void was struck with a blinding white light akin to a lightning strike and Eve was quickly thrown to the ground, eyes wide in shock.

"No!" Chung screamed. Was she dead? The thought refused to be a reality in his mind. He just knew he had to protect her. The prince charged.

"Now… where were we?" the lunatic said, turning to his adversary.

In a flash, the copy vanished before his eyes. But Chung had seen this enough to understand. He liked to come in from the left. Stopping mid charge, Chung gripped his destroyer, spinning left in a powerful swing amplified by the pull of his trigger.

The bladed end hit nothing but air as a sinister chuckle sounded behind him.

"Outplayed," the copy whispered as a telekinetic blast struck Chung on his exposed lower back.

The prince stumbled forward, turning to see the lunatic take a boxer's stance and tauntingly dance in front of him.

"C'mon, then! Fight!" The copy laughed. He threw jab after bone shattering jab that struck Chung in the chest, the face, the shoulder, the gut. Had the young man's awakening aura not been active, the assault alone would have easily killed him.

"Or were you waiting for  _this_?!" The lunatic vanished, coming in from the left and landing a heavy elbow that struck the prince right at the temple.

In his dazed state, the prince drew a revolver, jamming the muzzle against his enemy's throat and pulling the trigger. The copy slid out of the way as heat from the bullet burned his neck.

The lunatic growled, creating a close range telekinetic field that he used to bash the prince right at his damaged rib. Chung gasped in agony and looked up just in time to see the copy wind up for a powerful haymaker. The guardian could do nothing but bring his arms up to shield himself and the force that was trained at his head smashed against his drawn revolver, cracking the gun's chamber and sending it flying out of his hands.

Chung gritted his teeth, swinging his destroyer wildly to create space. It worked, if only temporarily as the copy was able to continue the assault from medium range.

"Never. Interrupt. Me," the lunatic snarled between strikes. "If this world denies me my wishes, then I have every right to destroy it and everyone standing in my way."

Chung had become nothing but a punching bag now. Each heavy blow that landed only weakened the El around him. Each resounding strike sent an equally sickening thud of bone.

"I admire his passion," the esper said to the mastermind in the background, "But you, too, see the futility of his actions, don't you?"

The mastermind heaved as he clutched at a recently cauterized wound on his gut. He didn't say anything though the slight drop of his eyes was enough to satisfy the second copy.

"Aimless destruction will not bring back our mother. Only time can."

Chung regained his footing in the midst of the onslaught and raised his cannon to shield himself. The waves of energy slammed against the protective plating with enough force to cause the prince to slide back after each strike. The lunatic phased behind him, but this was exactly what Chung had wanted. Dropping the barrel of his destroyer, he fired a shot, using the recoil of the blast to propel the cannon backwards into a sudden surprise swing. The bladed end of his cannon grazed its intended target, though he managed to pull back just in time for the sharpened steel to slightly cut into his thigh and part-way up his gut.

The lunatic retaliated, throwing a telekinetic hook that struck clean across Chung's jaw. To his surprise, however, the prince remained standing.

Chung returned the favor, turning his body and landing a solid right hook square against the copy's head. Now it was the lunatic's turn to stumble, and as he regained his footing, he immediately commanded his dynamos into action, absorbing the impact of the powerful horizontal sweep of the destroyer that sent the copy flying.

The lunatic's eyes were wide with confusion as he turned his attention to the other two Adds watching from the sidelines. Chung refused him any time to recover, entering his siege stance to fire several homing shots before using the last cannonball to launch himself to pursue him.

"He's losing," the mastermind muttered weakly.

"He's aware of that," the esper replied.

"We have to help-" Add tried to stand but the esper extended an arm, barring his path.

"Your belief in his reasoning is all that is necessary in this situation. What he chooses to do with his strength is entirely up to him."

"But all this violence he thirsts for… all his bloodlust...there's no point in it," the technophile argued.

"If that's what you believe, then this Add will surely weaken and fail in defending you."

"But if he fails then that leaves only you…" the mastermind trailed off as a sinister smile crossed the esper's lips.

The lunatic met Chung mid-flight with a telekinetic kick. But it did little to slow the young man's advance and mere moments later, the full weight of a Hamelian and his cannon collided with him.

They hit the ground rolling, but the Add managed to gain the upper hand. Trapping Chung in a full mount, the prince was on the defensive once more, blocking with his arms as the lunatic laid his full weight in punches on him.

"Die!" the copy laughed maniacally, "Die! Die! Die!"

The strikes did little to faze the awakened Hamelian, however, and this became crystal clear when Chung managed to grasp the lunatic's fist. He gripped the copy's hand with his crushing strength, squeezing it and twisting it until his fingers began to dig deep into the back of the man's hand. The Add copy screamed as electricity coursed through his glove before being crushed by the immense pressure. Chung felt the bones give, followed by a distinct pop that was only followed by an even more audible cry of pain. The lunatic fell back and his dagger-like Dynamos spun wildly about, forcing the prince to disengage or risk being cut to ribbons by the weapons.

The copy staggered to his feet, clutching at his shattered hand as his eyes sought blood from the fool who dared do this to him. He balled his only functioning hand into a fist as his five Dynamos sparked violently behind him.

When Chung slowly rose to his feet, shaking away the concussion he was suffering from, the lunatic summoned all his remaining energy and coalesced it into a bright purple orb.

"Why won't you just stay down!?" the copy wailed. He flung the orb into the air before leaping into an overhead kick that sent the orb flying towards the prince. It struck the floor, reducing the hard surface to rubble as it continued on its path of destruction.

Chung couldn't move out of the way in time. With no cannonballs loaded and no time to leap out of the way, his only choice was to block.

The guardian braced himself as the energy ball came crashing against his destroyer. The heavy plates strained under the immense force and it took everything the young man had to maintain his grip on his weapon.

The ball detonated, sending a mix of high voltage and explosive force that cratered at the point of impact and buried the prince into the floor.

Dust settled and Chung struggled to move from the rubble that framed his body against the ground. His awakening aura waned, fading into nothing as the last of what little El he had was finally used up.

A familiar click caught his attention and he raised his head to see the lunatic with one hand, broken and pressed tightly against his own chest, while the other hand pointed one of the Silver Shooters at their owner.

"You…" the lunatic cackled as he descended down the crater towards Chung, "You… you, you, you! You had me going. You had me going there, but in the end, it's  _my_  vengeance,  _my_  strength, that surpasses yours. You are weak, insignificant and unworthy of the life this cruel world has gifted you. And so your destruction must follow…"

The copy reveled in his victory, breathing in the smoke and dust of his surroundings as he drew closer. Chung tried to struggle out of his hole but he froze as he saw the lunatic point the gun to his head.

The Add copy stopped beyond arm's reach of Chung, all too aware of the possibility of his prey fighting back.

"Though, I must admit, as much of a nuisance you were to me… I had fun. More fun than I've ever had before. And to make things all the more sweeter you've brought my precious Eve to me. As a reward, I'll have you choose your death." The lunatic stood proudly, admiring his workmanship of his latest victim, "Tell me, Seiker. How do you wish to die?"

The prince glared at the copy. All intent to fight back had vanished. The lunatic relished it.

Chung took only a moment as he formulated the perfect response. A smile crossed the prince's lips and he answered in a low growl. "With a bang."

Add's copy's grin widened. Pointing the gun at Chung's head, he let his own El fill the chamber. His finger squeezed the trigger.

"Enough to blow your arm clean off."

The revolver's damaged chamber ruptured, exploding with a loud crack that echoed throughout the void. Blue light flashed and as Chung was temporarily blinded by the burst of pure El. The last thing he saw before the flash was the look on the copy's face as most of his arm disintegrated from the blast. Flecks of shrapnel tore at the guardian's face as he turned away from the sound of Add's screams of terror and pain as he lost his other hand.

Chung opened his eyes and witnessed a man bring an already broken hand to clutch at a limb that was no longer there. The prince struggled under the rubble, pulling himself free as the copy staggered before falling to his knees.

A bright blue disc flew in from the edge of the crater. Its target was unable to move from the shock and Chung saw the same fate that befell his Freiturnier fall onto the copy's unprotected, human flesh.

There was nothing left of the copy. Nothing from the waist up, at least. Not dwelling too much on the grisly scene, the sound of approaching footsteps garnered his attention and he took hold of the petite hand that was extended to help him out of the rubble.

"Are you okay?" Chung asked, stumbling to his feet and turning to Eve.

"A system reboot was required, but I am fine. I should be the one asking such a question," the Nasod replied. Looking her over, she was largely unscathed. The same couldn't be said for Moby, however. Cradled in her arm, the loyal black drone appeared lifeless, inert. The light in its eye sockets was missing and the white drone hovered nearby. "Are you well, Chung?"

"I've been through worse. Is… Moby…?"

"Resting," Eve answered hastily. Her hand gently petted the damaged drone's head. She turned to Remy who seemed to stand at attention as the Nasod queen directly addressed it.

"We are not finished yet. We will have to make do without his assistance, for now."

The white drone nodded vigorously, whirring its engines in a show of confidence. Satisfied, the Nasod climbed to the crater's edge with the prince in tow.

"While we fought that copy, I found it strange that these Adds didn't attack the original," Chung whispered as they approached the other two adversaries in the distance, "Any idea as to why that is?"

"These illusions grow stronger the more the original doubts their own choices, correct? You explained this to me earlier."

"Uh huh…"

"The second copy seems to be far more aware of the situation than the first—going as far as to mention experiencing several strings of this same reality."

"Multi-dimensional…?" Chung's brow furrowed in confusion. "If he's from different dimensions, what does he hope to gain from being here…?"

"Inconclusive," Eve replied, standing at the ready before the two remaining Adds, "But his plan must revolve around the human's survival. It's possible that he has been in this particular plane of existence multiple times. Be ready for anything."

"Well that works for both parties involved," Chung stated. "We need that cocky bastard alive, anyways."

"For now, at least."

"For now," Chung agreed.

"How amusing," the esper muttered, though his face and exasperated tone revealed anything but amusement, "Lunatic Psyker failed in killing the Hamelian, yet again. Of all the strings down this particular reality, he survives just under fifteen percent of the time. Even warning him of his overconfidence does little to alter this statistic."

"It's over, demon," Chung growled, "We've taken down one of your kind already. Hand Add over and we'll make your death swift."

"You're at your limit, Hamelian," the esper said, knowingly, "Don't even bother trying to hide it. I've seen your demise thousands of times over. It is here you die by my hand. And it is here that I can start anew once more."

Chung's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean start anew? Clearly whatever you're hoping to achieve hasn't happened yet if you needed to relive this moment over a thousand times."

Unfazed by his words the esper turned to the original.

"He doesn't understand us," he whispered, "You know as well as I that the Utopia we seek cannot exist in this dimension. The world you hope to replicate cannot be achieved with the limitations of Nasod tech. You need… a different reality."

Add dropped his head as he considered the esper's words. In those moments the very air around Chung and Eve began to ripple and bend around them. Chung watched as Add's eyes widened in realization of the esper's words. Chung gasped as the Dark El embedded in the esper's chest began to glow brightly within the void. Cracks within the fabric of space formed around the copy and it was only then that Chung realized what was going on.

"Don't listen to him!" the prince yelled over the sound of shattering glass as the void itself began to crumble, "You're only going to make him stronger!"

"And strength is what I'll need to reunite us with our mother," the esper continued, "Join me… grant me the power to bend the very fabric of time itself!"

Add raised his head, eyes locking with the esper's. "I will!"

"No!" Chung screamed.

"Yes!" the esper howled as his body rippled with energy, he began to rise further off the ground. Chung and Eve retaliated, firing salvos of cannons and plasma rounds at the copy.

The esper's crystal Dynamos flew into action, warping the reality around him into a protective shield that absorbed and deleted all incoming fire as if they were nothing. With their weapons drained of ammunition, a powerful blast erupted from the shield that nearly knocked both of them off their feet. Even the void itself could not withstand the tearing of space as the endless black that surrounded the four of them cracked and fell to pieces. Like giant shards of glass, the magical zone that granted them seemingly limitless freedom of movement came crashing to the floor, fading into nothing as Chung found themselves in the large blue chamber once more.

"This power…" the esper clenched his hands as he breathed in his new strength, "I can use this to create a rift to any reality I please… All that's left… is to find the right one. But first..."

Slowly the esper floated back to the ground, the intense ripple of space and time coalescing around the single entity before Chung and Eve. Black eyes remained fixated on the guardian who subconsciously took a step back from the esper.

"A test of my newfound strength. A demonstration, if you will, of my limitless possibilities."

Chung steeled himself. Stronger or not, the copy needed to die. He quickly reverted his slow retreat into a head on charge, swinging his destroyer and causing the copy to nimbly dodge it with an ease that rivaled Ran. He did a follow-up swing, firing his cannon and changing its trajectory into a sudden overhead strike which the esper nonchalantly side-stepped. No sooner had he avoided the bladed end of the cannon did the esper find himself staring down the barrel of Chung's second Silver Shooter. But by the time the prince had pulled the trigger, Add's copy was already out of the bullet's path.

"Foolish Hamelian," the esper chuckled, as he tauntingly duck and jumped over each consecutive strike effortlessly, "I've already seen all there was and all that will be in this string of reality. There is nothing you can do that can hurt me."

His Dynamos flew in, creating a rippling shield to his flank as spears and explosives were quickly erased from existence. He turned his head towards Eve, smiling at her bewilderment before leaning back to avoid a cannon swing aimed at his head.

The esper raised a hand, and with a mere flick of his finger, the Dynamos erupted with a powerful burst of energy that came at the Nasod who could do nothing but turn and shield her black drone from the blast. Struck at her side, Eve was sent crashing into the solid stone wall

"Eve!"

"I-I'm… fine," the Nasod's voice sounded garbled. Grainy. She was struggling to move. As she turned her head, Chung saw a distinct crack across the blue gem on Eve's forehead.

Chung gritted his teeth and summoned all his remaining El. His body ignited with the last ounce of magic and he used it to increase the speed and strength of his strikes.

Nothing but close calls followed, however, as the esper continued to weave through his swings as easily as breathing. He was almost out of energy. Gripping the handle of his destroyer he let out an angry cry as he threw all his weight into his attack.

His swing connected, to his surprise. But any feeling of accomplishment was quickly washed away as he saw that hated cocky smile Add liked to put on when he knew he won.

Chung's cannon remained pressed against the ripple of space within the circle of Dynamos as Add stood just beyond the swing's trajectory, grinning from ear to ear as he let their difference in power level sink in.

The esper kicked him in the gut, causing the guardian to keel over only to have his head snap back from a vicious uppercut. The copy turned, finishing the prince off with a roundhouse kick that brought the guardian down on all fours. Add's copy did not finish him, however. He paced around the young man.

"Once again, the prince falls before he is able to witness me at my maximum potential."

Chung saw the esper's feet stop in front of him. He turned by his heels to face the Hamelian. The esper took a moment to admire his increased strength.

"But this time… it's different. My potential here is far greater than all the other threads prior… curious… oh, the possibilities that string from this reality! What luck… what luck indeed!"

A deep, unsettling laugh erupted from the esper as he stepped away from the prince. He stopped in front of the mastermind, spinning around and pointing at Chung who was still too rattled to stand.

"Consider yourself the first Chung to ever witness my  _true_  power!"

The copy raised his hand high above his head as the six crystal Dynamos hung in a circle over him. The weapons began to glow as electricity arced from their needle-like tips. Again, the space around the chamber began to warp as the esper gathered all his El into the circle of Dynamos.

Lightning cut across the enclosed room as his extended hand gripped the coalesced bead of concentrated magical energy. Projected above him, the very fabric of the world itself crumbled. The outline of a giant projected hand could be seen digging its fingers within the creases of space.

The esper tore the bead out of the circle and the tapestry of reality mimicked this action, tearing a hole into the physical plane itself. He laughed as the tear widened overhead. Air both scorchingly hot and bitingly cold assaulted the prince who took a front seat to the dimension's gaping wound.

Looking into the tear in reality itself, was indescribable. It was a tornado of colors and shapes that were both familiar and unrecognizable. It was like staring into a snapshot of everything that had happened and everything that would be.

Then, out of the tear, a giant boney claw emerged. Then a second. Then a set of skeletal wings. The air around the prince grew heavy with sulfur as the head of a bone dragon emerged from the rift. The rift closed behind the beast as it towered over the prince, its undead heart pumping magic throughout its body within its thick rib cage.

The esper stood behind the bone dragon, a diabolical grin splayed across his face.

"Here's a familiar friend," the esper said, failing to hide his newfound excitement, "Do you remember him?"

The beast roared, causing Chung to cover his ears as he rose to his feet. He remembered this beast all too well. Even at his full strength, it took the united effort of the El Search Party to bring the monster down. He was alone, here. Without the others to back him up, his chances of even surviving were slim.

The beast reared its head back, drawing in breath to lungs that didn't exist. The guardian raised his cannon, bracing himself for an incinerating breath that would surely burn him alive.

Flames spewed out of the beast's maw, engulfing half of the chamber in a tide of unquenchable fire.

Scorching heat slammed against the back wall, immediately turning the dull blue stone charcoal black. The flames rolled upwards, painting the high ceiling black before crashing back down to the floor. Anyone within the direct path of the liquified heat would have been reduced to ashes within seconds.

Chung wondered why he was still alive. As he held his eyes shut, hiding behind the defensive shield of his destroyer, he could feel the immense heat immediately evaporating the sweat that beaded off his brow. He could here the flames rush all around him, the sizzling stone surrounding him.

Yet as he opened his eyes, expecting to see his body set ablaze, he instead found himself unscathed. A projected, grid-like dome hung over him. The bright orange and yellow tide flowed around it, heating the air into temperatures akin to an oven. It was only when the bone dragon ceased its spray of fire did Chung realize what was going on.

Standing defensively in front of him, still cradling the damaged black drone in her arms, was Eve. She had created an atomic shield just in time to save him. An aura of El surrounded her as she stared into the bone dragon's empty sockets.

Behind the beast, the esper stood, a smile still on his face. He had expected this.

"Do… n-not… harm him," the Nasod spoke in a crackled, static voice, similar to that of a broken speaker.

"Eve…?"

Eve looked at him over her shoulder. Red trickled from the cracked surface of her blue gem.

"I… will… f-fight… this one. K-kill… copy," Eve muttered as she channeled her El into herself. The aura coalesced into her back. They began to take shape, outlining jagged wings. The shapes solidified into black Nasod steel spines.

The atomic shield shattered around them as a powerful burst of energy erupted around her.

"Hello World! Full Generate Mode: Initiated!" flashed in bright gold letters.

"Queen's throne…" the esper chuckled, "Of all the other realities, Eve only commits this form of self-sacrifice less than one percent of the time. I've stumbled upon quite a rare thread, indeed."

"Sacrifice…?" Chung whispered to himself as he noticed, amidst the meters and gauges that surrounded the Nasod, the most prominent display was a flashing red window: "Exotic Code Corruption: 39%"

Chung watched as the queen drew the same red energy from her blue gem. Remy flew in, converting it into El before Eve crushed the concentrated bead of magic in her hand. In that moment, the prince saw the spines protruding from her back spark with electricity. Numerous portals opened around the large beast as razor sharp spears flew in by the hundreds.

The blades dug into the dragon's thick bones while others shattered completely through the brittle wings. The beast roared, swiping at Eve as her unbound powers were taken to the air. She flew over, under, in between the claws as they narrowly missed her. All the while, Remy hacked and slashed a path for its mistress. Through bone and rotting tendons, Eve commanded her white drone with the mere wave of her hand. Traveling upwards, she tore yet another ball of red energy and transformed it into El.

It lunged at her as she flew towards its skull, but instead of moving away, Eve dove through the rows of teeth and into the still smouldering maw. A bright blue light shone within and Chung caught glimpses of Eve generating what appeared to be an amplification field similar to that of the Seraph she fought against. A blue disk appeared in her hand and, as the dragon shut its maw around her, the beast's skull violently whipped back as a large hole was blasted into the top of its head. Eve flew through the fresh opening as the bone dragon staggered on its brittle legs.

The blades had done their damage. As the dragon shifted its weight from one leg to the other, the bones gave, shattering into hundreds of pieces and causing the dragon to fall on its side. It turned its head upwards to its single adversary.

All pocket dimension portals vanished around the dragon as the queen of destruction hovered over her fallen prey. Still holding on to her black drone, she was breathing heavily and looked on the verge of plummeting to the ground. Ignoring her physical limitations, Eve drew from the gem on her forehead, once more. Only then did Chung finally understand what she was doing.

He remembered sitting in a cold cave filled with magmanta spiders, just he and Eve, alone in the healing pools.

_"Now that I think about it," the prince said, "what_ do  _you need El for? Your kind isn't exactly magical. I can't imagine it's anything as important as-"_

_"Life," Eve whispered, "_ _Nasods depend on El as our source of life energy."_

Eve was converting her energy into El. Within a span of time shorter than a few minutes, the Nasod had already repeated the action thrice.

She was killing herself.

"Eve… stop," Chung mumbled, wondering why she was going through such lengths in combat when she had never done so before.

As if to answer his question, her golden eyes met with his. She couldn't speak much, but with a look, he could sense her desperation. She mouthed two words at him: "Kill. Copy."

With her free hand she raised it high in the air as a massive portal opened overhead. An equally enormous black spear slid into their dimension, its length nearly half the size of the entire chamber from floor to ceiling. Eve clenched her hand in a gripping fashion and two additional large portals opened, producing white, highly unstable, plates of metal. They attached themselves to the spear, widening the bladed tip and arming it with explosive charges.

Chung had run completely dry. All El reserves were gone and his physical strength was beginning to waver. He had nothing left. But he still had to try. While Eve was sacrificing her own life energy, he had to make use of it.

He stumbled to his feet once more, reminding himself that no matter how many times he would be knocked down, as long as his opponent was alive, he had to get back up.

Hefting his cannon, he did a quick ammo count and found he was completely out. What was he to do? Nothing would surprise his opponent. The esper had claimed to have seen thousands of variations of this particular string of reality before. He most certainly was expecting Chung to attack him at this point. With the power this Add had at his disposal, Chung was facing an obstacle that even he wouldn't be able to overcome.

Chung blinked. No. Add wouldn't expect this. The esper said it himself: this would be the first realm where Chung would see him at full power. That meant every other Chung had died before this moment. Maybe… maybe this was his chance!

The prince took his first clumsy steps before breaking into a full charge. With nothing but his physical strength at his disposal, the Hamelian had to get in close. Thankfully, Eve had all eyes glued to her as she hurtled the massive spear into the bone dragon's chest.

The spear impaled the beast, piercing straight through the thick rib cage and punching into the earth as the bone dragon let out a monstrous screech.

Chung dove and leapt over the squirming appendages, raising his cannon to shield his side as a massive concentrated explosion erupted from the beast's chest. The force of the blast was nearly enough to knock the prince off his feet. The entire room rumbled as debris from the ceiling began to rain down around them. The distant rumble from deep within the earth shook the entire room and it wasn't long until the distinct sound of rushing water could be heard coming in from an unknown location.

The chamber was filled with a thick cloud of sulfur and bone dust. The beast's dying cry still echoed within the chamber, mixing with the ever-growing sound of an incoming flood, giving the prince ample time to arrive at where he had last seen the esper.

He swung blindly into the thick cloud with the bladed end, wanting to end this fight quickly, but hit nothing but air. Had the esper moved?

Six bright lights shone through the black dust and he realized the Dynamos were trained at him from his right. He shielded himself, angling the destroyer just in time to deflect the telekinetic blow rather than absorb it head on. The prince staggered from the hit, but used the momentum and turned it into a counter swing aimed at the ring of Dynamos.

Chung's cannon cleaved through the smoke, leaving behind a clear window just wide enough to see the blade graze across the esper's abdomen, drawing blood from a deep gash before he disappeared into the clouds once more.

The sound of the copy grunting nearby was all the confirmation he needed. The esper didn't see this coming. The prince could finish it, here. He just had to land a clean hit. But at the same time he had to watch out for the mastermind. If he died in this trial, who knew what would happen to them within the trial chamber.

His eyes scanned through the clouds for any sign of movement; any sign of the esper's Dynamos. As he moved, he felt his boots slosh through ankle deep water. Even though the room was big enough to accomodate a bone dragon, the floor was already beginning to disappear under the murky sea water.

Sparks caught his eye, and he spun around to see the familiar coalescence of energy hanging high above where the esper should be. The sulfur cloud faded and sure enough, the sound of the fabric of his dimension tearing once more could be heard over the rush of water.

Chung wasn't going to let him do this again. With the room flooding like this, it was only a matter of time before they all drowned. He went after the esper, slogging through knee-deep sea water, with his cannon raised.

Another body came in. Bloodied but with enough strength to stand, the mastermind stood in Chung's way. All too aware of the situation, Add had looked to use himself as a shield for the esper.

"You will not deny me this chance at making my reality come true," the technophile snarled through bloody lips.

"Add. Move. If you let this monster live, he will destroy our world," the prince warned.

The silver-haired scientist refused. "If you want me to move… then kill me!"

Chung couldn't, and Add looked to take advantage of it as much as he could.

Summoning his dynamos to his side, Add slammed his fist against a projected menu selection, transforming three of his dynamos into strange laser-like machines. This was the first time Chung had seen the technophile's weapons do this. Add grinned, acknowledging the prince's confusion.

"Compliments of my queen's weapon coding."

With a simple gesture, the machines turned to the prince, firing a binding laser that locked his legs and arms in place. They burned all the way through to his bones, yet he still struggled under them. Even if it cost him his limbs, he had to put a stop to the esper before he called forth another horror.

Eve crashed to the earth, landing with a force that sent a wave of sea water outward. She tried to stand but at her state she was far too weak to do much of anything else. She was running out of El. Though she said nothing, Chung could see it in the way she tried to use the last ounce of her life force for one last wave of spears. Even her Full Generate mode began to dissipate in a stream of data.

"Eve… don't do it… just hang on-"

She ignored him, crushing what little was left of her El in her hand, three more portals opened, and spears were flung at the copy.

The spears tore at the esper's garb, cutting into his flesh but none struck anything vital. He was still standing, and as Chung looked on, he could only see the Nasod fall forward, the last drops of her life used for an attack that missed phenomenally.

"You insignificant fools…" the esper muttered through gritted teeth, "You're nothing but a speck of dust in the expanse of the multi-verse! Do me a favor and die!"

The copy erupted into a fanatic cackle, reveling in his seemingly sure victory. He tore at the fabric of reality once more and through the mix of garbled dimensions, a giant white Nasod hand came crashing through the rift. It looked like a variant of King Nasod's fist, swinging through the chamber andswatting away Eve's floating body, sending her slamming into the far wall of the deactivated gateway.

The esper was beside himself with laughter. All the while Chung could feel the mastermind's eyes on him.

"If only the gateway was functioning," Chung thought, "If only she were sent to the safety of the room beyond, she could maybe recover and flee this place."

That wasn't the case. With the esper still alive and the room flooding nearly at chest level, he knew there was no escape. He struggled, one last time, in his bindings. Even his strength couldn't save him, now. The prince fell to his knees, letting the water rise to his neck as he surrendered before the two other Adds. There was nothing he could do. It was over.

Through the sound of rushing water, the single distinct crack of a gun could be heard echoing throughout the chamber.

Chung raised his head. To his surprise, the esper stood, clutching at his chest where the shard of Dark El used to be. Blood flowed from the open wound and before he could react, a second shot followed, catching the esper by the neck.

The prince searched through the thick clouds for its origin. Nothing but ash and water.

"Who-" Add began but before he could even question it, the technophile's body locked up as pale blue light began to swirl around him.

The memories of the other Adds were immobilizing him. His body began to float in the air, just as Chung's and Eve's had. The Dynamos that bound him began to malfunction. Thrown into disarray by the wave of thoughts that filled the other copies, the weapons simply fell inert, freeing the prince from his bindings. The trial… was over.

The rift that produced the giant Nasod arm vanished, severing the arm from its body and the metallic limb came crashing to the floor with an ear-splitting boom. The entire chamber rumbled as more and more of its walls began to cave under the immense water pressure.

"Over here!" an unfamiliar voice called to Chung. He turned to the gate to see a cloaked figure up to their chest in sea water, trying to drag Eve's body through the ever-growing flood.

Chung looked from Add to the mysterious stranger, weighing in how much time he actually had. The stranger looked as if they couldn't lift the Nasod over their own shoulder, much less fight against the increasing current. Gritting his teeth Chung decided to leave the male. Shouldering his cannon he fought against the current with all his might. By the time he reached the gateway, the water had already risen to well above his head and he had to dive under to assist the stranger with getting Eve through the gate first.

Struggling with getting the heavy body through, Chung tore her body away from the stranger and instead shoved the black drone into their arms. The prince pointed at the gateway and, after a moment of hesitation, the cloaked individual swam through the magical field with the white drone following close behind.

Using the weight of his cannon to remain grounded, Chung grasped Eve around her waist, tossing her unceremoniously through the gateway before glancing back at the bright blue light the technophile emitted. The prince didn't have time to finish him. Though he had envisioned Add's last moments to be that of a formal execution, the prince settled on the idea of the man drowning. Fighting against the current once more, he slowly stepped through the waiting gateway.

Chung collapsed into the Hall of Trials, coughing out the salt water from his lungs as he immediately crawled over to the unconscious Nasod.

"Eve…" he coughed, gently cupping her cheek as he stared at her unmoving body.

"Chung!" Sasha could be heard rushing to his side, "Are you- Oh my goodness… Is she…"

The prince shook his head, placing an ear to her chest. The weak thump of a racing heart could be heard. She wasn't breathing, but Remy was still functional. The drone chirped wildly overhead, garnering his attention and he looked up only to see the drone land on its mistress's stomach with a distinct amount of pressure. It flew up and came down again, pushing at her chest before looking up at the guardian.

She couldn't breathe. Chung knew what to do.

Before anything he pushed the drone away, feeling her torso for her diaphragm before turning to the Nasods lips and pinching her nose shut.

The guardian began administering resuscitation, pressing on Eve's chest before blowing into her mouth once more.

He repeated this method three times and after the third, the Nasod gave a hacking cough that was followed by a spew of salt water. She took a strong gasp of air, before her body relaxed; her breathing steady.

Chung and Sasha let out a sigh of relief before the Water Priestess knelt at her side, cradling the Nasod's body on her lap.

"She'll be fine," a voice said and immediately Chung remembered the the presence of the cloaked stranger.

They both looked up at the hooded individual wearing a blue-green cloak covered in strange magical runes. As the figure circled them, the prince noticed the barrel of a long rifle peeking out of the long robes.

"I know those symbols…" Sasha whispered as the figure silently regarded both of them, "It's the insignia for Henir's Cult."

"The God of time and space…?" Chung whispered back. He had only heard outlandish rumors about the existence of such a cult; tales of cruelty and needless blood sacrifices to 'aid' Henir with manipulating the realities of time. There was no doubt an entity that controlled the ebb and flow of time itself, but to run into a cult worshipper… an armed cult worshipper… the prince didn't like where this was going.

"Who are you," the prince said, rising weakly to his feet, "what do you want with us?"

The figure came to a stop, standing on the other side of Eve as the barrel of the rifle gently nudged at the Nasod's hip. It took everything in Chung's body not to jump at the stranger.

"I'm not your enemy," the figure said, a genuine smile crossing their lips, "In fact, I'm here to help."

Slowly the figure raised their hands as a show that she did not have their hands on any weapons. The pulled the hood back, revealing long blonde hair tied in a bun.

Chung's eyes narrowed as the woman brushed the salt water from her bangs.

"Who are you…?" he asked again.

Suddenly the individual stood at attention, giving him the familiar salute of a Velder soldier. Electric blue eyes locked with his.

"Anna Testarossa, code name: Rose, reporting for duty!" the woman said with a smile.

Chung was at a loss for words.

"I'm… sorry? I don't know anyone by that name," the prince mumbled.

"Oh… Oh!" the stranger replied after realizing her mistake, "Sorry, Chung… It's just been… so long since we've last seen each other. You probably don't remember."

"I… I really don't know anyone by the name of Rose, or Anna."

The woman leaned forward, a wry smile crossing her lips, "Several years ago… at least in my timeline, you came across a particular individual surrounded by… particularly unfavorable group of friends."

Still, Chung couldn't understand her. This caused the spark of excitement to shine in her eyes.

"Chung. I've missed you," she said, eyes staring into his.

As Chung stared into those electric blue eyes, he couldn't help but feel as if he had seen them somewhere before. Slowly, his eyes widened, slowly his jaw dropped as the blonde stepped back, brushing the bangs of her blonde hair.

"It's me: Pet."


	32. A Hero to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a stunning turn of events, Chung finds himself face to face with someone he had not expected to ever see again. Is this person who she claims to be? If so, what is her purpose of coming to find him?

Chung had set himself defensively in front of his two companions. Eve had yet to stir from her critical state while Sasha's grip tightened around the prince's forearm. At the other end of the stand-off was the mysterious female stranger.

Far unlike the two who stood warily in front of her, the young woman had a warm, welcoming smile. A sense of unbridled excitement were in those electric blue eyes and it seemed it took everything the stranger had to contain herself as she repeated herself once more.

"It's me. Pet." She maintained her calm smile, searching the prince's eyes as his guard slowly, but surely, began to break.

"P… Pet?" Chung couldn't believe it. Was he dreaming? There was no way the young woman standing before him was the twelve-year-old orphan girl she claimed to be.

Slowly the blonde woman nodded, sensing that any rapid movement would cause the prince to faint. His legs were weak, his breath shallow. The prince appeared to have trouble just standing own and and she was aware of the weight this news would bring-as if so much as a look would cause his poise to falter. Just from uttering her name he looked on the verge of losing himself entirely.

"I know, I know," she cooed, in an attempt to slowly bring the truth out, "You probably have a million questions. It may be hard to believe but, yes, I am that very same girl."

"Listen… Pet, er, Anna… er Rose?"

"Pet's fine. It's what you knew me by, right?" The woman responded.

"Pet… what… how… when… I… don't understand," Chung brought a hand to his temple. Simply trying to grasp the concept caused the splitting headache Add's lunatic copy had given him to resurface.

A soft hand rested on Chung's shoulder and he turned to see Sasha still hadn't dropped her guard. Her deep cyan eyes stared daggers into the pair of electric blues standing on the other side of the guardian.

"I don't know the connection between you two," the priestess said in a wary growl, "But a fair word of caution, Chung: she's clearly an acolyte of the dark god Henir."

Remembering this fact, Chung's guard was raised once more and as he straightened his posture, shielding the priestess from the stranger.

The woman claiming to be Pet blinked, then looked down at the dark green and blue cloak she wore. With a sigh, she slowly tugged at the knot, removing the cloak and tossing it lightly to the side.

She was tall. Just a bit taller than Chung in stature but that may have been partially due to the slightly raised heels of her boots. They were the first thing that caught the prince's eyes. They were knee-high padded adventurer's boots plated with dull, battleworn steel greeves. Attached near the heels were miniature canisters that emitted a faint yellow light at either end of these thin cylinders. To Chung, they looked as if they were some form of propulsion system.

His eyes climbed higher, stopping at the woman's well-defined hips accented by a flowing brown skirt with a distinct light brown pattern sewn into its hem. He had seen this pattern before and noted they were characteristic in many of the female marksmen of the Velder Army. Strapped over was a belt lined with what appeared to be glass bulbs and an ammo pouch that hung loosely open, revealing nothing more than a handful of unused rounds.

The woman's thin waist and average bust was easily defined by the red and white Velder tunic that was contrasted by the black padded shoulderguards strapped to her upper arm.

Aside from the boots and the missing marksmen's hat, which the woman had clearly lost and forgotten about due to her messy, disheveled blonde hair, she was largely dressed like the typical Velder archer.

"There," the blonde woman said, "I'm not a cultist. Trust me, now?"

Chung could see the priestess quickly shake her head.

"No. Especially with that weapon of yours."

Suddenly, the rifle in the woman's arms spoke.

"A lady's gotta have some way to protect herself, you know."

"Zero," the woman sighed, "Let me handle this."

"Your gun can speak?" Chung took a step back, reaching for one of his revolvers.

"Whoa, slow down, kid," the rifle exclaimed, "I know it's usually bad news when guns do the talking but, in this sense, I assure you, we mean you no harm."

The rifle began to change shape before Chung's eyes. In a complex display of folding and unfolding metal, the weapon began to deconstruct itself. Without twisting or bending, the rifle's straight body somehow took the shape of a jet black ring. The gun's wooden stock began to fold as well, framing the black ring as magical blue runes appeared along the structures inner circle. Within the ring, a round entity appeared. Like a fading yellow sun, this entity formed two hollow sockets that, after witnessing the sockets move independently along the entity's surface, Chung determined were the being's eyes. All in all, this ringed spirit was no bigger than a child's handball.

"Hey," the entity said, the yellow orb flashing to match the gruff voice of a male, "Name's Zero. Boss's all-in-one mechanical guardian."

"Boss…?" In the storm of questions that swirled in the prince's head, he couldn't help but notice the familiarity of Zero's voice. He couldn't quite place it but he had definitely heard the voice before.

"Me," Pet replied, clearing her throat, "I designed him entirely by myself. Well, not entirely, actually."

"More like she scavenged a bunch of scrapped Nasod tech and used what she learned from the Henir cult to capture part of her own essence, a combination of her heart and mind, if you will, in a magical cage. She isn't much of a designer, though, considering at the outfit I'm forced to wear every damn day," Zero commented, spinning the magical ring around his yellow form.

Pet rolled her eyes. "He may be a bit brash, sometimes, but I find his voice… charming, in its own way. But yes, this is Zero: a combination of Nasod coding and a little bit of runic magic. And no, he's not leaving my side. I wouldn't have made it this far without his help."

"You're going to have to excuse our caution towards you, then," Chung said, "as well as my doubts of who you claim to be. Pet… if that is you, you need to explain yourself."

The young woman and her companion looked at each other.

"That's a bit difficult to explain," Pet sighed, "Where do I even begin?"

"Start with the how," Chung commanded, "If you're who you claim to be, how did this happen to you? How did you find me?"

A nervous grin crossed the girl's lips, "That's… not exactly an easy concept to grasp, either. Can't I just explain it later when we have more time?"

"We have time," Chung insisted. His eyes darted to the active gateway the had just walked through, "I still need to make sure he doesn't make it out of the trial."

Pet cocked an eyebrow, "He?" The blonde turned to face the magical field ebbing like a ripple of air behind her.

"Add."

"That guy you left to drown?" the blonde asked, motioning with her thumb back towards the gateway.

Chung nodded, "The situation's a bit complicated for us, as well, but that's beside the point. Explain yourself. Now."

Again the young woman sighed, running her hand through her bangs as she tried to find a starting point.

* * *

The platform entered the inner chamber of the enormous complex. Still just barely holding on to her wits, the young woman triple-checked the presence of a small metal device at nestled next to a satchel's worth of explosives at her waist. This was her only means of escape, at this point. She garnered that many angry cultists as well as a hand full of Ponggos were still trying to figure out another way to safely fly to the floating island seeing as she managed to steal their only shuttle when they weren't looking.

"So this is the heart of Altera," the young woman whispered, pulling off the hood to her cultist's cowl. Her gaze scaled the cold metal walls of the central core. The chamber was enormous. It had to be, considering there was an equally gigantic Nasod housed within it.

"And that… must be the Nasod King."

A gigantic white torso with broad shoulders almost as wide as the chamber itself was flanked by disconnected, floating white arms. The scale of such a being would easily match that of Elder's castle.

Its head was an oversized helmet with a bright orange protective visor. A white and blue crown hung over its forehead, glowing as brightly as the similarly colored core on its chest.

It was looking right at her. Or at least, Pet thought it was looking at her. Despite standing directly before the machine, despite having infiltrated deep into the heart of what was regarded as the most secure location in all of Elrios, it did nothing.

Pet was dumbfounded. She had never thought she'd get this far. Yet here she was, at the tail end of her journey, with only two final things in her agenda: grab the plans and escape.

"Z-zero," she whispered, fearing any move she would make would rouse the machine from its pacifist state.

"Y-yeah, boss?" a mechanical drone whispered nervously back, refusing to leave its hiding spot behind the young woman.

"You're sure this thing can't see me, right?"

"Positive?" the voice mumbled, unconvincingly, "I'm still scrambling your life signature… You should look like a Nasod to the others around here."

"Well then, why is his highness giving me the elevator eyes?"

"I-I don't know! Maybe you're masked as a sexy Nasod?"

"Nasods are not sexy."

"Hey, I take offense to that statement."

"Whatever. We're here. You know what to do… right?"

"Y...yeah."

Pet waited, nigh moving a muscle as the giant Nasod continued to stare her down. She waited and waited and slowly realized her companion had yet to leave her side.

"Get moving!" the blonde grunted as quietly as she could, bumping Zero with her hip and forcing the drone to roll out of cover.

The drone had a deceptively simple design: a ring made of a strange black alloy lined with magical ancient runes. Within this ring beat a living, golden core, complete with a pair of hollowed eyes that moved freely about the core's surface. Wood and Velder steel framed the metal not in a way that protected the entity, but rather to keep the entity itself from escaping.

It sighed. And as it did so, its core mimicked the exasperated exhale, flaring in brightness before fading into a dull yellow. Its hollow eyes glanced at the king, warily, but found the monstrous machine unmoving.

It floated over to the nearest terminal and fired a small, concentrated laser along the side panel. After a square hole had been cut, Zero drew upon his own El, creating a complex hacking probe which he carefully used to dig through the wires of the terminal. The needle-like tool was surgically driven into one of the thicker wires, causing the monitor of the terminal itself to flicker to life.

"And… I'm in!" the drone remarked as multiple projected windows appeared around him.

Pet kept her eyes on the King the entire time. Yet despite all that was happening, the being refused to respond. Tentatively, she took a step towards her companion. And then another, only at a hair's pace faster. Still nothing. She took another step. And another.

The King's head slowly turned to follow her. It was definitely moving as the muffled groan of metal joints could be heard echoing through the chamber.

"Well…? Anything useful?" the blonde whispered, turning slightly towards Zero. His hollow eyes flew from window to window as data scrolled by him at blinding speed.

"Nothing so far… Just a shit load of useless travel and combat logs."

"This… thing traveled?" Pet commented, noting how the Nasod wouldn't even fit on the large freight elevator they snuck in on, much less the tiny door leading out of the chamber.

"All over Lurensia, from the looks of it. Had a handful of friends as well. Whoa. and a love interest, too? Hah! This is gold. Actually… hold on, I don't think the King was the king to begin with-"

"Right, right. Look I don't care about what he has written in his stupid diary. Have you found anything actually useful?"

"Ah… right, gimme a sec… It's not easy digging through a Nasod hive's subconscious. Here we are: weapons and military R&D. That sounds important."

"Download it."

"All of it?" Zero's hollow eyes turned to her as he scoffed, "There's… a lot, you know. Like a lot, a lot. As in 'they had to create their own pocket dimension to stuff all their goodies in', a lot."

"Do it," Pet commanded.

"Ugh, this is gonna take a while, boss," Zero grumbled.

"How long?"

"Two… maybe three-"

"Minutes? Hours?"

"Months."

"What?!"

"I told you. There's a lot. The amount of weapons and military-grade soldier designs this king has come up with are out of this world. He could take over this realm if he wanted to with this kind of power."

"And yet he sits here and does nothing…" Pet sighed, staring up at the idle king. She felt the fear she once had slowly transform into a mix of malice and resentment. Entire kingdoms had fallen to the demonic threat. Velder, Elder, the elves… and yet these machines refused to act.

"Take the blueprints for his latest designs then," Pet continued, unshaken, "From one year ago, onward."

"Okay. That, I can do in a few minutes. Gimme a sec… deleting pictures and videos of puppies and kittens to make space… and…" several holograms scrolled by the floating orb with a notable file being visibly clicked and dragged into a recycle bin, "...alright! Downloading."

"Human," a female voice spoke directly behind Pet and the blonde spun around, nearly falling over from surprise.

At first Pet mistook the stranger for a human, given her human-like features: Long, silver hair, soft, delicate-looking skin. The distinct tell that she was anything but human, however, was the blue core on the individual's forehead framed by a hologram of a crown. She was like an angel.

She floated before Pet, her feet just barely off the ground as blue energy kept her aloft. Flanking her sides were a black and white drone that looked almost as lifeless as the king sitting at the center of the chamber.

The Nasod tilted her head, golden eyes darting from Zero then to Pet.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh-" Pet stammered for an explanation, looking over to Zero for assistance.

"Don't look at me," her companion muttered, "Your signatures should still be masked as a Nasod as long as I'm around."

"Then why is she-"

"What are you doing?" the female Nasod held a commanding tone yet they seemed distinctly hollow. If she was growing impatient, Pet would not be able to tell. There was something missing in this one. It was in her tone, the way her golden eyes stared not at her, but through her. She may look human but her expression felt… hauntingly empty.

Pet didn't know how to answer. The blonde never thought she would have made it this far in her journey and now here she was at the tail end of her quest and she has no idea how to go about carrying it out.

"What are you doing?" the seraph repeated. Again, no expression, yet as she spoke she moved closer to the human. The king turned to face her, as well. In that moment, Pet felt as if the entire floating island had turned its unseen eyes towards her.

"Answer her, boss," Zero whispered nervously.

"I'm… uh," her gaze searched around for something she could say. Like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she knew there was really nothing she could concoct that this individual would believe.

"I'm copying some blueprints."

The entity tilted her head. The king at the center of the chamber mimicked her movement.

"Why?" Even when the Nasod was demanding an explanation, her voice lacked any sense of curiosity or distress.

"Uh…" a lie would have been far less complicated than the reality of her situation at this point. Pet felt a long winded explanation might be pushing her luck. She looked at Zero over her shoulder, "How much longer do you got?"

"Less than a minute," the companion whispered.

"You are an unauthorized intruder," the female Nasod stated. Again, it was stated in such a strange manner, the young woman couldn't tell if the entity was angry, upset, or anything for that matter.

"I'll… see my way out. Sorry," she reassured the Nasod.

"Not necessary," the human-like machine replied, raising her hand to the air, "A more expedient solution is available."

"Boss!" Zero shouted, "Eyes up!"

Pet's gaze turned up just in time to see the king's fist come crashing through the upper platforms. She leapt out of the way just in time as the giant hand slammed against the hard metal floor. The chamber shook from the impact and as the sparks settled, she could see the fist had wedged itself at the exact point where Pet had been standing in between the terminal and the seraph.

The smaller Nasod turned to her. Without a gesture, her two drones were already on Pet, forcing the young woman to duck and sidestep them as they flew in.

The young woman broke into a sprint, running off to the side and up along the wall as the black drone flew under her in an attempt to sweep her off her feet.

The white drone was next, aiming to knock her off the wall, but Pet would have none of it. Channeling El through her body, the young woman forced the magical energy to her legs. Under the cultist's cloak she wore, jet flames erupted from her boot and she spun around, slamming her armored shin against the drone's side and sending it crashing against the hard metal wall.

"Are you finished, yet?!" Pet called as she landed, rolling to the side just as the black drone drove itself into the ground next to her.

"Uh… almost?" Zero replied, the sound of distress evident in his voice. Pet focused her gaze on her partner just in time to see the giant hand that had separating him from the female Nasod lift out of the way.

The seraph approached Zero, extending a finger towards him as it began to glow white with energy.

"Get away from him!" Pet shouted, activating her rocket boots once more to close the distance. The seraph narrowly dodged a spinning kick that just grazed the top of her head. In the same motion, Pet's hand quickly pulled the pin on one of her disfrozens, letting it fly as she completed her turn.

"Remy," the seraph said as she turned to her assailant. Just as she did so, a white drone collided with Pet, smashing against her side and sending the young woman tumbling to the ground.

"Boss!"

In that moment, the air crackled with energy as the glowing container of El burst in a blinding flash. The seraph was caught in the middle of it. It was a blinding spell. Simple and effective. With her companion so close to the Nasod, Pet couldn't risk harming him.

The blonde pushed herself off the ground, clutching at her hip. The chronoshifter was damaged. Glancing at her belt, she saw the remains of a box with its contents leaking the rare resource of pure God El. It's power source was bleeding fast. At this rate…

"Done yet?!" Pet yelled, scrambling to her feet. She ripped the device from her belt and adjusted the busted dial as accurately as the broken display allowed.

"85% and climbing!"

"That's good enough, let's go!"

"But-"

"Kill them," the still-blinded Nasod ordered.

The room rumbled and Pet saw the king raise his hands for another attack. Pet knelt down, opening the cultist's cloak and beckoning her companion over.

"Now, Zero!"

With no time to hesitate, her drone detached itself from the terminal and flew past the Nasod towards his boss.

Pet activated the device, all to aware of the growing shadow above her. The device sparked and the runes around her cloak began to glow.

"C'mon…" Pet prayed as a rift began to form at her feet.

Zero dove under her cloak and she wrapped the two of them tightly in it just as the ground beneath her gave way. She felt her body being pulled into the rift as a wave of scorching hot and biting cold battered the protective cloak around her. Pet shut her eyes as she fell into the rift, all to aware of the giant fist was following her through it.

The young woman tumbled out of her dimension and a storm of what ifs and what had become tried to push their way through the magical runes that surrounded her. This was the Everything. The entities that awaited her beyond the safety of the cloak, the horrors of what simply cannot be in any normal dimension, existed here. Everything from her worst nightmares to wildest dreams were there, waiting to rip her body to shreds.

Pet kept her eyes closed. Every one of the cultists who survived their first dimensional leap were alive because their head hadn't imploded from the curiosity of gazing into the Everything.

As her body drifted within the Everything, amidst the assault of sounds one can only describe as a train colliding with all things imaginable, a distinct rip could be heard within the fabric of the outer dimension. Something was wrong. Yet before Pet could discern what it was, the gravity around her stabilized and she could feel her body collide against water and a rigid stone floor.

She dared not open her eyes, yet. Unsure of what waited outside of her cloak, and struggling to find the surface of whatever fluid she was in, she felt around and determined that she was no longer within the Everything and was somewhere else entirely.

Her eyes flew open and the sting of salt water filled her eyes as she fought to find her bearings. She clumsily found her footing and broke the surface, gasping for air. The young woman found herself submerged in waist-high water that steadily continued to rise. She was in a large stone room roughly the size of one of Velder's many market squares. Faint inextinguishable blue El flames illuminated the braziers that marked the corners of the room and it looked as if the roof was close to caving in on itself if the room didn't flood with sea water first.

Checking herself, she was largely unharmed. Zero seemed no worse for wear, either. Where was she? When was she? She had set the device to take her back seven years, but this looked nothing like the Altera Core. Everything was dark and flooded.

The only thing she recognized was the sight of the giant white Nasod hand that pursued her. It grabbed at her blindly through the dimensional rift before swatting at the nearest unfortunate target.

The body of a familiar silver-haired Nasod sailed over Pet's head, slamming into the wall before plummeting into the murky water below.

Laughter caught her attention and she focused on a rather sinister looking individual in the midst of gloating before a restrained victim. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't need context to know what was happening. She knew who the victim was.

Whatever happened during her leap back in time didn't matter. She was here. She was exactly where she wanted to be. She made it… she could fix the future.

"Zero!" Pet commanded, "Rifle!"

"You got it, boss!"

The drone flashed as the black runed alloy surrounding it began to quickly disassemble its ring-like shape before intricately constructing itself, block by block, into a useable weapon. Even the once rigid wooden frame deconstructed itself, forming a rifle's stock as the rest of the black alloy formed the barrel and firing mechanism.

As her rifle took shape, the young woman had already fished out the last three bullets she had in her ammo pouch.

A round was chambered just as the iron sights at the nose of her rifle formed. No sooner had the Zero completed his transformation was Pet steady and ready to fire. There was no hesitation in pulling the trigger. She needed to save Chung.

* * *

"And that's how I ended up here," the young woman said, brushing the bangs away from her eyes. "And not a moment, too soon, it seems, considering what was going on when I arrived."

"Had we arrived any later," Zero added as he floated over his companion's shoulder, "Everything would've been a waste of time."

"I'm glad that's not the case," Pet remarked with a relieved sigh.

"But that still doesn't explain why you're wearing a Henir cultist's cloak," Sasha reasoned, her tone wary as she spoke, "Or why you've been given a chronoshifter. I'm sure those devices wouldn't be issued to any ordinary devotee to the dark god of time and space."

Pet's brow furrowed. She was visibly hurt by the lack of trust this woman had despite having just saved her kingdom's heir to the throne.

"Well, if you really want the details, it's a really long winded story."

"It's quite a journey!" Zero said.

Pet shook her head, "One that definitely has my lowest moments in life that I'm not too proud of. Though, I don't think now would be a good time to discuss this."

"It gets really juicy at some parts. She won't admit it but if you want the dirty details, come ask me," the yellow orb commented in a mock whisper towards the priestess, garnering an annoyed shake of the head from his companion.

"So… let me get this straight," the prince muttered as Sasha's aura of healing light soothed his burnt flesh away, "You came from the future… to save me?"

Chung was now sitting on the floor with his legs crossed as he waited for the priestess to finish her work. Having heard Pet's tale, the young man found reason to relax more. He was still on his guard, but part of him wanted to believe the newcomer's story. It definitely was much easier to find new allies rather than create more enemies at this point of his journey.

Eve was still unconscious and in critical condition, according to the displays Remy had projected. The drone couldn't do much with what little El its mistress had left in reserve and was forced to simply wait until it was safe to begin repairing her. The story was the same for the white drone's partner: Moby, who had yet to wake from its slumber.

Pet didn't answer right away and looked as if she were choosing her words carefully.

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Because you're a hero."

Chung was visibly taken aback by such a statement. Pet's smile returned seeing the young man's reaction.

"I don't know about that…" Chung replied, feeling humbled by her words.

"Kid," the yellow orb flashed as he floated in front of him, "She would not shut up about you when she first made me. And though I hate to outright praise someone I just met, boss has me convinced that you're the real deal. You're a hero."

"I'm not a hero…"

"You were, to me," Pet commented, "Back when you rode with us during that month long trip to Velder, you went on and on about your heroic deeds across Lurensia. You taught me how to read, how to write, how to defend myself, and how to use guns-"

Chung remembered all of this. He remembered the young orphan girl he journeyed with half way across the continent. He remembered the boundless curiosity and adoration she expressed towards him. He remembered how she had been left behind in Velder… how he left without saying goodbye… his eyes met with the same pair of electric blue. They still regarded him with that same adoration that somehow withstood the test of time. This was Pet. As unbelievable as her claims were, the prince believed it. But… there was something else about what she said that bothered him.

"I… was a hero?"

He saw the smile in Pet's face falter. She brushed her bangs from her eyes as she shuffled uncomfortably where she stood. The young woman hugged herself as she slowly nodded her head.

"You never returned."

Neither of them said a word. Chung understood the implications. She came from the future and she had never seen him, again. To the prince, that only meant one thing: he was going to die here.

"But!" Pet exclaimed, forcing a grin once more, "That's why I'm here: To change that future; to save you!"

Chung couldn't help but smile at Pet's attempt to lighten the mood. She did save him, after all. Maybe she had accomplished her goal after all.

"I don't know what to say, honestly," Chung replied with a shake of his head, "You went through all that trouble for my sake… if there's anything I can do to repay you, I'm in your debt."

"Ah," Pet scratched the back of her head as she forced a nervous laugh, seeming quite taken aback by his offer. She waved it off. "It's rewarding enough knowing I get to see you, again."

Zero coughed, causing the blonde to elbow her companion.

"Er… and Roger and Mud, too," she added, quickly.

Roger and Mud.

Chung's smile slowly faded. A weight Chung had thought was gone for good had quickly resurfaced in his chest. He could feel the excitement of such a chance reunion dissipate like a cloud, leaving behind an all-too-familiar feeling of guilt.

"They're… alive, still… right?" the orphan asked.

Chung said nothing. His silence spoke louder than anything. For a long moment, neither of them said a thing. He didn't know where to begin.

Pet bit her lip as she hesitated to ask her next question. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "How… how late was I?"

It hurt trying to recount the days; to recall event after horrible event that lead up to this moment.

The young man's shoulders rose and fell in a melancholic shrug. "I don't know. Two… maybe two and a half weeks?"

"Two and half…" Pet's voice trailed off. Chung could see the blonde's hand slowly ball up into a fist before loosening.

The prince's head fell. If only she knew the truth. Pet's arrival was late… but considering the circumstances, would it even have mattered? Would she even be able to prevent their sacrifices-

"How did they die?"

Chung's heart stopped. Of all the painful questions Pet could have asked, Chung feared this one the most.

Mud's execution was unwarranted. The square soldier shouldn't have died for Chung, yet the poor oaf defended the prince to his dying breath… all because Chung wanted to free Ara.

Roger's death was also preventable. The desperation and fear in Roger's eyes as he threw himself on Ran was still fresh in his mind. If Chung hadn't recklessly gone after the downed airship, Roger would have-

"How, Chung…? I need to know."

"Just tell her, kid," That gruff voice of her companion urged. Chung's eyes widened. He looked to the source and found himself staring not at a tall man in his forties, but a yellow orb constructed by Pet's essence; the culmination of her heart and mind. It was Roger's voice...

The prince's lips quivered as he felt the words escape him. What could he say? What should he say? Should he be vague? Keep the specifics out of the explanation? Tell her that her fathers died honorably? Should he get into the details? Explain that it was his own foolhardiness that lead them to their doom?

"I…" Chung's hands gripped at his own leg tightly as he kept his eyes away from hers. He scanned the floor fervently as if the stone itself had the answer he sought. He swallowed hard.

"I… I don't think now's a good time to discuss this," He spoke with his heart thumping at his throat.

"What," Pet blinked, tilting her head as she stepped closer to him, "Why not?"

"We're not completely safe here," he muttered. Having successfully deflected her question, the change in subject brought back the collected tone in his voice, "Once I'm done healing I need to get return to my duty. Once this is all over… we'll talk."

There was a long pause. He didn't want to look at her. He could feel her eyes searching him for an answer that he was refusing to give… or at least that was what the prince assumed.

"Oh…" the orphan's voice cracked through the silence like glass. He heard her give a soft sigh that only shadowed the grief that was filling her. Pet hugged herself tighter, "I… I see."

Neither of them spoke afterwards and it was then that the prince tentatively returned his focus to Sasha's healing. As expected, the water priestess did a phenomenal job in tending to his wounds. The burnt flesh across most of his exposed torso had become a paler shade of new skin. The grinding of bones in his rib cage had vanished and any swelling that was beginning to form across his face had long since disappeared.

"So…" Pet mumbled after a long while. Chung's body visibly tensed at the sound of her voice and he quietly bit his tongue, hoping she wouldn't bring such a heavy subject up once more.

"What's our next move? I'm not even sure of what has or hasn't happened at this point so a quick rundown of what we're going to do next would be helpful."

Chung shut his eyes, inwardly thanking the gods for the change in topic. He stood, rolling his shoulders as he checked the physical state of his body before checking on his one remaining revolver and shouldering his destroyer once more.

The guardian pulled off his damaged gauntlets. At this point they were more of a hindrance to have on, leaving him largely unarmored from the waist up save for what remained of the only thing that helped him channel his El through his armor: the guardian stone. With nothing but the gold setting the ocean-blue stone was set in, the stone was worn more as a necklace rather than a piece of protective gear around his neck.

He turned to face the magical gateway that functioned as the room's entrance. Add was long dead. It was impossible for any normal human to hold their breath for so long. And if that was the case, no one had stepped through the portal. The only way out, now, was to cut off the source powering the trial chambers.

"Wait here," the prince said, avoiding eye contact with the blonde as he passed Sasha, "My father, as well as the rest of my kingdom's people are beyond those gates. I'm going to deactivate the magical source keeping us trapped within these halls. Until then, just wait until Sasha says you're clear to leave."

"I can come with you-" Pet began but was cut short when the prince, without turning to face her, raised his hand to silence her.

"Eve's hurt and Sasha is unable to defend herself should anyone… or anything come through those gates. I'll need you to take care of them."

"But-" Pet protested as she moved to join him. She stopped dead in her tracks when the prince's cyan eyes locked with hers.

"Stay." He turned, making his way to the three trial portals at the other end of the hall. Only one was active, now, and a faint purple cloud of miasma could be seen billowing through the portal's magical field.

"Chung!" he heard the time traveler call. He shut his eyes, exhaling before looking at her over his shoulder.

"About Roger and Mud…" the blonde's voice shook even as she yelled for him, "Promise me you'll tell me. Okay? They were all I had, after all… I… I just want closure."

He didn't answer for some time. He was given one more chance to lay it all out for her; to tell her that their deaths were entirely his fault. Would she be able to accept such a reality, after all she had been through to save him? Would the prince be able to forgive himself for breaking her heart like this?

"I promise." His voice was hollow as it echoed through the stone hall.

Chung could see the young girl's shoulders relax upon giving her his word.

"Alright…" Pet mumbled, her voice barely audible from where he stood. He left it at that as he faced the portal once more, silently reasoning with his conscience that it was easier this way. He couldn't focus on such things right now. What mattered most was the people… his people, beyond the gateway.

That was what he wanted to believe, at least. In truth, however, the prince was a scrambled mess of emotions. He may have dodged her questions, this time, but somehow, he felt this would one day come back to haunt him.

He stepped through the portal, feeling no less relieved to be away from Pet than standing right in front of her. At this point he wasn't sure what was worse: the fact that he lied to this poor girl's face… or the fact that she believed him.


	33. For the Good of the Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had spent most of his life preparing for this moment. Years spent fighting and training to one day save his father had all paid off. He was here. He was ready. All that stands between him and reuniting with his family is the single dark presence within the temple's control room.

Frost seeped through the magical gateway, its icy fingers clawing in through the cracks of stone towards those trapped within the Temple's final room. Panic and confusion filled the air as an unnatural chill suddenly caused the room's temperature to plummet.

"Calm!" the booming voice of Hamel's mighty king held such an air of command that the entire room of civilians—both noble and beggar, alike—came to a hush. All eyes turned to the gateway as King Helputt stepped through the entrance.

Flecks of ice clung to his heavy white armor. Each thundering step he took created a miniature spray of ice as the magical frost was shed off of him.

"Calm," he uttered once more, scanning the faces of what remained of his nation. He could see the fear and hopelessness in each of their eyes. This was it. There must have been just over a thousand of them left. Their lives were in his hands now. His... and the Velder soldiers that accompanied him.

A man, garbed in an imperial commander's black and gold cape, hurried through the magical field. His dark uniform, once-well ironed and maintained to show off his numerous war decorations, was now dotted and creased with large patches of snow. A handful of his elite guard, came rushing through the gate after their commanding officer. Each one of them hugged their bodies tightly as they all shook the layers of ice that had caked onto their uniforms.

"There you are, High Commander," Helputt said, turning his head towards the Velder officer, "I was beginning to think you didn't make it in time."

"King Helputt! What's going on? What is the meaning of this?!" the High Commander asked, his voice shaking as he spoke.

"Calm yourself, High Commander… And that's  _your majesty_. You're in my kingdom. Learn your place," the White Colossus turned to his citizens and strode to the middle of the room where a large circular platform took center stage, his gaze panning over the masses.

Two magical glowing orbs rested at waist level at the very middle of the platform and ancient blue runes began to appear in a circle around the man's feet.

By then, the icy chill had already begun to cover the walls. He could see his people visibly begin to shiver from the cold. Panic arose once again and it took the king several attempts to bring his citizens in line once more.

"What… are you doing, your majesty?" the Velder officer shivered.

"We are the last bastion," Helputt muttered, "If we fall, Hamel falls. That is why I've asked a favor of the High Priestess."

"Y-you're having… her f-freeze us? Why?" the red-garbed man spun around, watching as the citizens in the outermost edges of the room fall into a heavy slumber as the magical ice began to encase them in a thick barrier.

"There is no telling when Ran's army will be stopped. Even if we are able to somehow stave off the onslaught, we cannot hope to survive waiting for help. With the power of the El Stone, the priestess will encase the Halls of Water with an impenetrable wall of permafrost. Only the intense heat of the everflame from the El Stone of fire can melt such powerful magic. I've seen the potential of young Sasha. She can maintain such a powerful barrier  _and_  freeze us until help arrives."

"So… there's absolutely no way to get to the El Stone once she does so?"

Helputt nodded as the last of the civilians were soon encased in a thick layer of ice.

"In here, we will be safe from everything beyond the barrier."

* * *

The Prince of Hamel stepped through the gateway, expecting to find himself in yet another dimly lit chamber with some form of demon guarding the final passageway to where his people were being held. Instead, he immediately found himself in a grand hall easily several times larger than the trial rooms he had been in. The ceiling extended upward to a beautiful mosaic depiction of the El Lady looking down on her loyal subjects below.

There must have been a thousand of them.

Through Chung's frosty breath, his eyes scanned over hundreds of bodies encased in a thick layer of magical ice, still in the process of thawing. Or at least, they should have been thawing. Sasha's permafrost spell had been broken long ago. Why they were still held in their icy prison, the prince could only guess. All was still within each pod and Chung couldn't tell if the Hamelians were asleep, or something far worse.

Pushing such a dreadful thought out of his head, he walked down the white marble path, stepping over the skeletal remains of red-garbed soldiers as he approached the one person who he had been searching for over five long years.

At the center of an enormous platform, in between two inactive conduits, that likely powered the nature of the trials, was a man clad in a jet black Freiturnier. The armor was thick—bulkier than Chung's—and bore the dents and scars of battles waged long ago. With leggings almost as thick as a tree trunk and wide shoulder pauldrons, the protective plates naturally gave off the aura of a living, breathing, tank. If Chung had stood directly in front of it, he would be staring directly at the Freiturneir's bright blue guardian stone fixed just above the armor set's torso.

Despite its strange change in color and the helmet that fully covered the individual's face, the paladin's signature wolf-like mane and heavy destroyer undoubtedly belonged to none other than the White Colossus, himself: King Helputt.

Unlike the rest of those taking refuge in this room, the king was untouched by the ice. He stood there, unmoving, within a circle of glyphs that created a wall of light around the king. It was strange to think that his father might have been the source power the trial, but that mattered little to the young man. His father was  _alive_.

"F-father," the young prince's voice was only a whisper before the great king and it echoed ever so softly off of the surrounding ice pods. So caught in the moment of finally seeing his only surviving family once more, he was unsure whether to embrace the man or kneel before him.

Remembering his place as anything below the king, the son knelt, lowering his head in a deep bow as was custom when first addressing the king.

"Father, er, my king… it's me, your son!" Chung's voice was a shaking mess as the young prince was barely able to contain the urge to just break down in tears. After everything he had been through, all the war and death, he was finally reunited with his father. A father who, strangely enough, wasn't acknowledging his presence at all.

Chung raised his head, waiting for any form of response. He received none. At this point, he was unsure if the man within the armor was even there. The prince stood, approaching the Colossus and tilting his head.

The guardian noted the subtle rise and fall of the armor's chestplate and the puff of mist escaping the mouthguard with every breath the man underneath took. He was present, so why hadn't his father said anything?

"Father? Are… are you okay?" Chung asked, cautiously, attempting to search for his deep blue eyes under the helmet.

A sound echoed inside the king's helmet. It was soft. Incomprehensible. The young man stepped closer, training his ear towards his father.

"Y-you're…" the king whispered, struggling with his words.

"I'm…?"

"You're alive…" His voice was deep, powerful yet trailed off as he spoke. Just as Chung had remembered, yet his words contained an air of relief that only a parent finding a lost child could ever replicate; as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thank the El." The words came out, almost a whisper, though only Chung seemed to hear it.

Chung drew in a sharp breath as his tears began to flow freely.

"I am," he mumbled, nearly losing his ability to speak, "I've returned, father. I've missed you."

At that moment, nothing else mattered. He and his father were the only ones there. His cannon fell to the ground with a heavy clang as he embraced the king, feeling the cool, familiar metal of his armor in his grip.

"I'm back…," he sniffled, trying to hide the fact that he was crying, "I'm home."

Metal plates ground against each other as the prince felt the arms wrap tightly around him. Nostalgia hit the young man hard, as he buried his head into the black plates. This was how it always was: the feeling of cold Hamelian steel from his father's hugs. Words could not describe the intense mix of joy, relief, and a million other emotions that washed over him. He couldn't believe it. His father was alive.

"I did it, father," Chung whispered, his voice muffled against his father's armor, "I've fought hundreds of beasts, slain thousands of demons, just so I can be, once again, by your side. To reclaim our kingdom."

"I did this for you, father. I promised I would become strong enough..." His voice faltered. The king glanced down at the boy, through the dark armor, though no response came from him. Chung clung to his armor frantically. "Dad..?" The sound came out as almost a squeak, his voice cracking as his resolve did as well. "Why aren't you answering me?"

"I can't..." the king struggled to speak, as if it took every bit of effort to force each single syllable out.

"What is it? Whatever it is I can help. You can count on my strength."

"Can't... go… on."

The prince felt the grip loosen around him and he instinctively stepped back as the King of Hamel seemed to be fighting something from within.

"Father?" the prince inquired scanning over the king's frame, "What's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Leave," the King croaked, forcing the word out with all the power he could muster.

"No! I'm not leaving you—not again! I'm strong enough to help you—"

"No—" The king's back arched as if he had been suddenly struck by lightning, his entire body seizing up unnaturally.

As if nothing had happened, all was calm. His body relaxed under the armor, the inner turmoil seemingly gone.

"Father…?" Chung watched as the Black Colossus leaned over, picking up the cannon and shouldering it as he lowered his posture into a fighter's stance.

The young guardian slowly backed away from him, picking up his cannon as the air around them suddenly grew thick with distress and confusion.

Chung was lost. Why was his father doing this? He had sensed something was off from the start but he hadn't expected it to turn out like this.

As if to confirm his fears, the Black Colossus telegraphed a large downward strike that the prince dared not to challenge.

Chung leaped backward but quickly found no ground beneath him as the singular strike ruptured the very floor he stood on. The platform the two of them stood on was nearly cleaved in half and no sooner had Chung regained his footing did he find himself already staring face to face with a pair of glowing yellow eyes underneath the black mask.

The prince dove to the ground. He could feel the horizontal swing that followed just graze over the top of his head. He had seen this maneuver before. Years of watching his father spar with other paladins had taught him this much. What followed next was-

He rolled out of the way just as the barrel connected with the cracked floor beneath him and the prince pulled the trigger on his cannon, rocketing himself away from the point of impact just as the king fired a round into the earth. The explosion cascaded outward, decimating what was left of the platform in a bright cloud of red smoke.

Chung collided with one of the thousands of frozen prisons with a heavy thud. There was no room for rest, however, as he was forced to quickly shield himself from the incoming explosion that continued to rumble outwards. The rubble that followed the wake of the powerful blast pinged loudly against the pods of permafrost.

"Father?!" Chung stumbled to his feet and shouted over the crumbling stone around him, "What's going on? Why are you atta—"

Willing to defend himself but unwilling to fight, the prince lowered his destroyer, allowing the El to course through his veins as he braced himself just as the Black Colossus broke through the wall of dust in a headlong charge. He met the charge with his bare hands, pushing back with all his might as his awakened strength caused his boots to dig deep grooves into the floor. Despite this, though, Chung's feet slid against the rocky surface as he was slammed once more against the icy surface directly behind him. It took everything the young prince had to prevent his body from buckling under the immense force that crushed him between cannon and permafrost.

A thousand questions ran through the prince's mind as his awakened will did all it could to push back. He wanted to speak; to scream that his father was trying to kill his own son, but the amount of focus prevented even a single utterance of a word to escape his lips.

If the iron paladin he faced during the trial was the upper limit of his own strength, his father's power easily surpassed his several times over. Backed by the sheer weight of the king's equipment and his large stature, there was physically no way Chung could win a head-on test of might against his father.

Chung felt his elbows press against the cold surface behind him as even the power of his own will wasn't strong enough to fight back. He had to think of something. He could feel the bones of his forearms beginning to bend as his body did it's best to resist the crushing pressure. But strength was all he relied upon up until now. What could he possibly do in this situation?

Penensio. Chung remembered the way the man fought against him. He remembered how, even with his strength, the war veteran was able to defeat him even in a head-to-head fight. He remembered how he had turned the young man's strength against him.

The prince had to replicate this. Time was running out. If he could just put some space between him and his father he could maybe get some answers.

He only had one shot at this. But it was either he moved now or suffer a slow crushing death. With a pained grunt, the prince shuffled his body lower. Once he felt his arms begin to give, he fell back, using whatever strength he could muster to push the cannon upward.

It worked.

The guardian slipped out of his cornered state and took up his own destroyer, rolling out of the way before the Black Colossus was able to pin him with his boot. He bounded backward, deeper within the rows of frozen cages as he finally had a moment to speak.

"Father? What has gotten into you?! Why are you doing this?!" The prince watched as his king lower himself into a fighter's stance once more.

Red and black mist escaped the Colossus's helmet as he exhaled into a deep growl.

"Cowards!" the king snarled, drawing in a deep breath as he screamed, "Traitors!"

The man's voice alone was powerful enough to cause an explosive force by itself. Rubble flew outwards away from him as the prince raised his arms defensively from the magically infused shout. Standing in the direct path of the explosion, the prince was nearly blown off his feet, only barely managing to stand his ground.

Was the king speaking to him? Why would he call his own son a coward? A traitor?

By then Chung noticed his body felt heavier, weaker. It was then that he realized the man's shout had completely extinguished the awakening aura that surrounded the prince―like a candle snuffed by a hurricane.

"I trusted you!" the king howled as he barreled through the rows of frozen bodies and bringing the full weight of his cannon down on the prince.

Recalling his fight with Penensio, once more, the young man swung in a high sideways arch, pulling the trigger of his destroyer and using the force of the impact to parry the strike away.

The king's cannon was knocked to the side, slamming against the top of a permafrost victim with enough force to bury the ice statue into the ground like a hammer driving a nail. Living up to its name, the frozen sculpture showed no sign of apparent damage from a direct strike of Helputt's cannon.

Using the opening he created, Chung turned the blunt end of his destroyer on his father, striking the man squarely in the ribcage as hard as he could without the enhancement of El guiding his strike.

Astonishingly the weight of the blow was completely ignored, as the king ripped his own cannon out of the ground and turned the same motion into a horizontal sweep. The guardian could only raise his cannon defensively, this time, with no angle to parry, the blow struck the customized destroyer and sent its bearer flying between the frozen victims before crashing into one with a painful thud. The sound of his destroyer could be heard crashing some distance away.

Chung hit the ground, the wind completely knocked out of him as he gasped for air. Dazed and unwilling to harm his father, the young man could only manage to get on all fours as the king approached him.

"I won't let you have Hamel…" Helputt growled as his heavy boots thumped ever closer to the prince, "after everything I've done for you. Everything I've sacrificed… I won't let you have it. You shall not claim my kingdom as your own!"

"I… I know you've sacrificed so much for my sake, but I never meant to take Hamel from you," Chung raised his head to meet the glowing yellow eyes that shined underneath the black helmet, "Father… Please, get a hold of yourself. I'm here to help you."

At that moment the glowing yellow light faded and the Black Colossus stumbled back, dropping his cannon and clutching at his head. Was it working? Were his words getting through to him? He had to press the advantage.

"I'm here to help—"

"You  _lie_!" the king interjected, gripping the young man by the arm. His hand alone was large enough to grip his entire forearm.

Like a ragdoll, the prince was flung into the air. He watched as his father retrieved his cannon and entered a siege stance. With nothing to shield himself with, the guardian desperately pulled out his single functioning revolver as he resummoned his awakening aura. He fanned the hammer of his revolver wildly into the stream of incoming cannonballs, detonating each as quickly as he could before they reached him.

The last cannonball was nearly a direct hit and as it detonated, the prince willed the El to shield him. He could feel the heat and the shrapnel tearing at his body. Something cracked around the young prince's neck area.

The blast of each detonated cannonball sent him flying further and further away until the ground finally caught up with him and he tumbled backwards, managing to avoid the permafrost victims as he did so.

Bits of stone and debris rained in from the ceiling as the echo of explosions died. Immediately the prince checked himself. Noting the fresh blood that flowed from his shrapnel wounds. He felt around his neck, feeling for any broken bones but instead found his guardian stone, the source of his Freiturnier powers, glowing faintly and with a distinct diagonal crack across the gem's face. Unsure of what this meant for his ability to use El based attacks, the prince could not dwell on the problem now and focused on the immediate threat looming somewhere beyond the crowd of permafrost victims. Chung's eyes scanned through the frozen sculptures for any sign of movement. Despite what just happened, the guardian may have actually found time to breathe.

"Show yourself, coward!" the king could be heard shouting over the other Hamelians, causing Chung to instinctively duck his head lower to avoid detection.

By now, Chung was fully aware of the possibility of the demon presence Sasha had been detecting to be his own father's. As if the jet black armor hadn't been enough of a clue, the fact that he was inwardly struggling with himself and attacking his own flesh and blood was all the proof the young man needed. But if this was the case, why would his father willingly submit himself to a demon's influence? It didn't make sense that someone like his father would give in to whatever temptation the demon would have presented him with. More importantly, how could Chung ever hope to free his father from the demon's hold?

The sound of his father thrashing the other Hamelian sculptures around only bolstered his resolve. This was his people. No good king would willingly do this to their citizens, covered in permafrost or not. Chung had to get his father back. But how?

At least he had time to think. As the prince snaked his way through the crowd, the words his father had said began to sink in. He saw him as a traitor. A coward. Was it because the king thought his son to be a weakling? Was it because he fled his kingdom while his father was left to die here?

The guardian shook his head. He  _had_  to find a way. If Ara believed it enough to betray everyone, then surely there must be a solution. He just needed to reach out to his father. He needed to remind the king that he was the White Colossus: the symbol of hope for Senace.

But first, he needed his cannon. Chung stood no chance against his father without a proper means to shield himself. Quietly, the young man prowled through the museum of sculptures, doing his best to avoid detection, as the sound of his father's rampage eerily fell silent.

It took some time to arrive at where he had last seen his cannon but he had to take necessary precautions and walk around the giant central platform. However, upon reaching the general area, his cannon nowhere to be found.

Chung searched frantically for the weapon, fearing he may have actually lost it among the crowd. Unfortunately, for the young man, he found himself staring at a much more frightening reality.

The sound of scraping rubble caught the guardian's attention and as he turned he just barely managed to dodge a swing trained at his head. The words "For the good of the realm!" blurred past his eyes as the barrel of his cannon brushed over his shoulder.

Helputt spun around, letting the momentum of Chung's destroyer carry the swing of the king's own cannon as he brought it down with a resounding crash. Chung only saw the two swings coming, but with a cannon in both hands, the king was able to carry on to a third and fourth, becoming a deadly pinwheel that struck at a wide arch.

The frozen cages caught in his path were knocked over as a tornado of heavy steel barreled through them, with Chung being unable to do anything but evade the approaching storm of blows.

The entire time, however, Chung observed his father's swings. After years of watching his father spar, he knew the limitations of the king's movements and sought that tiny window of opportunity to strike back.

Carefully the guardian backpedaled just out of reach, timing himself in a rhythm he had come to understand each fighter had. He feigned taking the fight to the air, leaping just high enough to force the king's horizontal sweep to follow him upwards. It was after the king's back was turned to the prince that he was able to call in another burst of El as he gripped the incoming cannon swing and using it to pull himself back towards the ground. He drew his revolver as he moved in, his destroyer brushing the fringes of his hair as he closed the distance.

Spinning the revolver to its blunt end, he gripped the gun by the barrel with both hands and swung at the man's head with all his might just as the king turned to meet him.

The strike connected, peeling the helmet up and away as the Black Colossus's head turned. The butt of the gun smashed against his jaw, causing the king to temporarily lose his momentum.

The revolver shattered, smashing into dozens of pieces as, at that moment, the king was dazed from the unforeseen attack and Chung capitalized on it, rolling over the king's swinging arm as he was still at the mercy of his own inertia before landing a swift kick to the back of the king's exposed head.

Helputt stumbled, his grip loosening on Chung's cannon and giving the prince just enough time to disarm him. He did so, twisting the man's arm by the wrist and, in turn, retrieving the destroyer that was rightfully his. The guardian stone that hung around his neck began to twinkle in unstable flashes of light as he used the stone's power to load fresh rounds into the cannon before pointing the barrel threateningly at his father. Without a second thought, and fully aware of his father's durability, the prince fired a single round, a shot that connected squarely with the man's thick plated chest and exploding in a hot blue cloud of smoke.

The guardian shuffled backward, warily maintaining his siege stance, as the dust settled and the large silhouette of his father on his knees could be seen through the cloud.

"Father," he began before correcting himself and continuing, "my  _king_. It's me: Chung. Don't you remember?" The young prince wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. "I don't want to fight you!"

Helputt slowly righted himself. He turned towards the young man and, for the first time in years, the prince was able to see his father's face. He had strong, defined cheekbones and a chiseled jawline that would have gone well with a hero's smile but instead framed vicious rows of sharp teeth. Long, flowing blonde hair the fell halfway down the man's back, crowned the head of a man with ocean blue eyes-or, rather, they used to be blue but were now a sickly glowing yellow-green.

The most defining feature, however, was not his eyes, or the way his smile had been horribly transformed into a sneer. The thing that concerned the young prince most, was the purple aura that seethed from a peculiar jagged black rock lodged into the left half of his father's forehead. Like a crude dagger jammed into the man's skull, it emitted a strange cloud of miasma that Chung recognized as a shard of Dark El.

In that moment, a hundred questions ran through the prince's mind but one stood out among the rest:

"You're still there," he paused briefly, taking a cautious step towards the man, "aren't you, father?"

At that moment the king's vicious sneer faltered, and the man turned his head away, as if shielding his son from the truth. But the boy had seen enough. His father was turning into a demon.

"You're the source that Sasha sensed; you're the one that corrupted the trials, weren't you?" The king kept his head turned away and Chung noted the hesitation was more out of shame than outright refusal to speak. It didn't matter. His father was responding and that was all the boy cared about. If he could somehow get the information he needed, he could save the king. "How did this happen? Who did this to you? Father all I want to do is help you. I-"

Before the prince could fire another warning shot, Chung was cut off when the king suddenly turned on him once more, training the barrel of his cannon towards his son and emptying the entire salvo with renewed ferocity.

The young man raised his cannon, blocking the missiles as their red flames splashed around his guard. Chung reignited his inner flame once more, bracing himself to absorb the headlong charge he knew his father would follow up with.

Sure enough,an incredible force came smashing against his guard and the prince found himself being pushed back once more as his boots slid against the hard rock. There was nothing held back, this time as he was quickly and easily overwhelmed despite the power of El flowing through him.

As he was sent into the air once more, the prince noticed a dark purple aura of El surrounding his father. Yellow eyes stared up at the prince as the Black Colossus seemed to be fighting within himself once more.

"If you wish to aid me—" the king shouted loudly, voice laced with a malicious, demonic growl. He was cut off, however, as his own body carried him upward to meet the prince, cannon raised for a downward strike.

Chung met the blow with one of his own. The impact was so powerful, the guardian could feel the bones in his right arm shatter. Pain rippled through him as he felt his forearm bend unnaturally under the immense force. Still, the young man held fast, the power of his El keeping his body from faltering.

He stared upward, at a pair of glowing yellow eyes as the sneer of the Black Colossus very briefly turned to a look of desperation.

"Please, my son," he groaned. "Remove this shard. It is the only thing that sustains this corrupted body of mine. Please. Kill me."

In that split second, Chung's will waned and the king's strike followed through, sending him plummeting to the earth.

The solid stone floor beneath him gave way as the prince crashed it, creating a crater of stone and permafrost sculptures. Numb from head to toe in pain, Chung struggled under the pile of rubble and frozen bodies to move.

There was no way he had heard his father correctly. His only surviving family member did not just ask him to end his own father's life.

The floor lurched upwards under the Colossus's feet as he came crashing down after the prince moments later, sending the guardian's body upward once more. The young man, no longer trapped within the layers of ice and rock, tried to bring up his defenses once more only to be struck with a sharp pang from his right side, reminding him of his destroyed arm.

In that brief moment of trying to switch his cannon to his left hand, the demon-possessed king snatched him in the air by his broken arm, letting Chung dangle helplessly, a small yelp escaping his lips.

The guardian could do nothing but stare into the pair of glowing yellow eyes as his body swayed freely under the muscle tendons and broken shoulder bone.

"F-father," Chung coughed dust as he spoke, "surely you don't mean it. Surely you're not asking me to kill you. I can't. I  _won't._ "

The young man screamed in agony as the king squeezed his broken arm, crushing whatever bone was left intact. All the while, the Colossus pressed the muzzle of the Hamelian cannon against his chest.

Chung watched as the king's facial expression changed again. His head rolled in inner conflict as the expression softened.

"If you let me live," Helputt spoke in a haggard breath, "Then you and our kingdom shall truly fall."

The cannon dropped and, through the surge of insurmountable pain from his arm, Chung could feel the grip loosen slightly. Their eyes locked and, in that moment, through the sickly yellow eyes of a demon, Chung saw the person he had always aspired to one day become. He saw that person trapped in years of indescribable mental and physical torture, pleading to be set free.

And then the second presence returned. Amidst the inner turmoil of his mind, the father managed to release the boy from his grip, letting the prince roll to the ground as the demon within fought for control.

Chung rolled down the crater, stopping next to his cannon as his father disappeared under the demon's influence. The young man rose to his feet, hoisting the cannon with his left arm as he checked the grim state of his right. Like a bloody bag of flesh, it hung lifelessly at his side. Even with El, he wouldn't be able to make much use of it at its destroyed state. The only reason shock hadn't set in yet was the immense amount of adrenaline that pumped through his veins.

He turned his gaze back to his father just as the demon let out another earth-shaking roar. The voice once again snuffed away the awakened flames and Chung could feel his legs buckle under his own weight.

"Kill me!" his father shouted as the Colossus came bounding after the prince, "For the good of the realm!"

The Paladin's battle cry, a cry that carried the hearts of thousands of Hamelian Knights throughout history, erupted from deep within his throat. Since childhood, the young prince had regarded the phrase as one of uplifting pride; of hopeful determination; one that brought fear to the enemies of Hamel. He had envisioned the proud knights rallying under this call to arms, their unified might summed in a powerful chorus. But now, after hearing the phrase amidst the heat of battle, Chung understood the weight of the words. There was something terrible but also something sad and melancholic about this warcry. It was one of desperation; of a soul parting with everything it had loved, calling on its nearest and dearest; to lift their heads and hear for the last time the voice of a father, a husband, a son or a brother.

Chung stood, rallying to the warcry as he felt the guardian stone hanging around his chest react to the voice of Hamel's fallen king. He knew what had to be done. He couldn't falter. Not when the lives of his people depended on him. Not when his father depended on him.

The guardian stone shined around his chest as his berserk form activated. Yet it wasn't a cowl that manifested, but rather a bright white helmet. A long blue mane cascaded down his back as the might of a paladin filled him.

Chung steadied himself, drawing in the power of his damaged stone as he shouted in reply from the deepest reaches of his heart.

"For the good of the realm!"

His voice shook the entire chamber, the effect blowing away the charging demon's awakened aura, just as it was inches away from slamming into him.

Gripping the handle of his cannon, Chung met the incoming blow with an upward swing, with might he never knew was possible, staggering the Black Colossus backward as his own cannon was knocked back.

Shocked by the sudden surge of strength, the king redoubled his attack, gripping the cannon and sending it back toward his target.

The wind was knocked out of him, however, as the guardian continued with his upward swing, bring the cannon around once more to strike the Black Colossus in his stomach, denting the thick plating of his armor.

With that single swift motion, the prince was in his siege stance. He fired the last cannonball into the demon's chest, disorienting and buying the young prince just enough time to load a fresh round in with his single functional arm.

The stone around his neck flashed once more as he advanced uphill towards his father, swinging the cannon and connecting yet another strike the man's rib cage before slinging the cannon over his shoulder in an unorthodox cannoneer's stance.

The paladin's helmet that rested on the prince's head morphed, changing into the trooper's, as the guardian stone empowered the warhead that shot out of the barrel.

The sheer proximity of the red blast singed the guardian's already scorched flesh and knocked even the mighty king off his feet as his body disappeared over the edge of the crater.

Not thinking about how he had seen the blast crack the Colossus's armor, or how he was willingly trying to kill his own father, the prince continued his relentless assault. Slamming the cannon on the ground and calling on the rest of the El that remained in his body, his mask transformed once again into the familiar cowl he had grown to know. Fresh rounds were pooled into the cannon's reserves and he launched himself high into the air.

With the demon below him, it took every bit of the prince's will to ignore the face of his father that stared up at him. He gripped the secondary module of his cannon, unleashing an entire salvo of missiles that saturated the area below him.

 _For the good of the realm_ , he lied to himself as cracks formed on the guardian stone around his neck. The cowl transformed, manifesting the paladin's helmet once more. With the last ounce of El in his body, the prince used the cannon's recoil to propel himself towards the ground.

His destroyer collided with the king's, the sheer fury of the blow destroying Helputt's cannon in the process. A second crater, much larger than the first, was created as even the mighty Hamelian King was unable to successfully divert the attack. The thick armor caved in, effectively immobilizing the man within his own protective gear.

He could feel the guardian stone shatter and the helm that masked his face vanish. He could feel the strength of the paladin leave his body as the joints of his Freiturnier leg armor grow sluggish from the lack of power.

 _For the good of the realm_ , Chung lied to himself once more as he tossed his weapon aside and clawed his broken and bleeding body up his father's torso. Miraculously the king was still alive. Trapped within his armor and unable to move, the Black Colossus could only eye the guardian with hateful scorn. The young prince set his sights on the purple shard lodged in the king's skull.

Pushing himself to a sitting position, the prince gripped the shard tightly, garnering a scream of pure anguish that seemed to affect the prince much more than the king. Chung could feel it, the thrum of energy under his palms. The shard flowed with such malicious power that it was almost sickening just holding on to it. All he had to do… was pull.

Chung stared into his father's eyes.

He just had to pull.

His grip tightened.

He just had to pull.

He could feel the demon—his father—struggle to free himself from the guardian's hold.

"Why?" the prince whispered, his hand loosening around the Dark El that kept his father alive, "After so many years hoping and praying for your well-being, why must it all end this way?"

"Chung," the single utterance of his own name in his father's voice was enough to bring the young prince to tears, " _You must_."

"I can't… Not to you. Not to the person I've looked up to my entire life."

The guardian felt his father struggle under the armor. With every movement he made, the armor slowly bent and contorted. Chung's window was shutting. But to kill his own father—

Chung gritted his teeth. Again, the prince grabbed the shard, summoning all his will to end his father's life.

He  _just_  had to pull.

And yet…

At that moment, the king's arm broke free from his armor, grabbing the prince by the neck. Chung let go of the shard, gripping the man's hand, as he was lifted up and away from the shard. The young man choked under the vice-like grip, gasping for air as he tried to wrench himself free with his only functioning arm.

No words were exchanged as Chung simply felt the hands wrap tighter, squeezing his airways almost as easily as crushing an egg. He could feel the blood pool in his head as his face went from red to blue. His cyan eyes stared into the sickening yellow as nothing but malice stared back at him. Any trace of the boy's father was gone.

Abandoning his struggle for air, the young man clawed at the arm, a feeble attempt to reach for the shard that was easily beyond his reach. He could feel his vision blurring. Slowly, his eyes closed. His flailing legs weakened as the king watched the life slowly leave his son's body.

Then everything ceased, as if someone had hit pause on the chaos.

His legs refused to move. His need to breathe remained static, neither growing nor receding. The grip on his neck remained, yet he continued to remain in the state between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"I can't watch!" a voice of frenzied panic echoed throughout the chamber.

"Why? His death would grant your wish to be reunited, after all," another voice responded rather indifferently, "Regardless, you're free to open your eyes."

Unsure of who the voice was referring to, Chung's eyes snapped open. The scene before him was unchanged. Glowing yellow eyes stared back at him with the same malice he had seen before his vision began to fade. But nothing about his father moved. No sign of breathing, nothing. It was as if time itself had stopped around him.

"Y-you did it," the first voice mumbled in clear disbelief, "By the Goddess, you really did it!"

"Not for the reasons you've hoped for, however," the second voice said, "I act by Her will and Her will, alone."

By this point Chung discerned the first and second voice to be female and male respectively. The second he did not recognize but the first… it was a voice he had longed to hear once more; a voice that was stolen away by a traitor.

"Then why?" the female voice asked, "Why are you helping Chung?"

"This human's death complicates matters far beyond your understanding. His failure to kill Helputt would set off a cataclysmic series of events that would make my task of ensuring my ward's safety astronomically more difficult—and besides, it won't be me that assists him."

There was a pause before the first voice replied. "What,  _me_? You mean I'm allowed to interfere?"

"There is a method to my madness, I assure you. Why else would I pull you out of purgatory to accompany me here?"

"I thought you were just being sadistic by forcing me to watch my little brother suffer through these trials." Her voice was sour. Chung could hear the sneer in her voice.

"You two aren't related."

"He's like a brother to me."

The second voice sighed, "Time is ticking, Aisha."

Light footsteps drew close as Chung felt a soft, dainty hand brush against his neck. With some audible effort, the prince could feel the grip around his neck loosening as the young woman peeled the king's fingers back.

As if released from a magical spell, the prince's body was freed from its frozen state. He collapsed to his knees, clutching at his neck with his arm as he let out a series of haggard coughs.

His breathing stabilized. As strength returned to his body once more, he rose to his feet. With his newly found breath, he became aware of the distinct scent of lavender that made him afraid to face the presence that stood directly behind him.

"Chung?" the young woman whispered, causing the hairs on the back of the young man to stand on end. He turned, slowly. His eyes caught a glimpse of a simple flowing white gown that hung over the frame of a young woman with flowing violet hair that framed her beautiful face, accented by radiant purple orbs.

"A-Aisha?" the prince's voice came out little more than a croak, as a million questions remained caught in his throat. He couldn't believe this. Was any of this real? Tentatively, he extended a hand towards her as a small, sad smile crept across the girl's face. She responded, meeting his gesture with her own as their fingers entwined.

They were warm. Her hands were warm in his and as soft as he had remembered. She was here. She was alive—right?

As if reading his mind, the mage shook her head.

"I've missed you," Aisha said, brow turning upward to compliment that melancholic pout that surfaced through her smile.

"I… I've missed you, too, Aisha," the prince said, finally able to find his voice, "Aisha, what's going on? Why are you—"

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught his attention and the two of them turned to a man dressed in a beautiful white and gold suit. His hair was a light teal—cyan, even. The aura of El shined around him in an almost blinding, yet calming light. In his hand hung a rather elaborate looking pendulum. Unmoving, even though the movement of his hand would have naturally caused it to, the pendulum emitted the same glowing light as the El that surrounded him.

"Keep things brief," the man said as he idly stood watch over the two of them, "Although my power is great, even it has its limits."

Aisha turned her head back to the prince with a sigh.

"Aisha?" Chung began again, "What's ha—"

"Unfortunately there's not much time to explain," the mage replied, her hand gripping Chung's tightly as she spoke, "We're here—or rather, I'm here—to help you."

Her face grew serious as she turned her eyes to the Black Colossus standing directly behind the prince. Still frozen in time, the king's eyes remained locked where the prince once was.

"I know the task before you is painful. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone to be forced to kill a father that loved them… but I do not wish to see you fall here; not after all you've suffered through to get to this point."

"I can't, Aisha," the prince said, shaking his head, "I've been waiting years to one day see him again. Why does it have to be me that ends his life?"

"You can and you  _must_ ," the man standing off to the side insisted, "It is no exaggeration when I say that the fate of this realm hinges on your success. Should you die here, Elrios will descend into a state of chaos that not even Ishmael, Herself, will be able to control. Would it be in my power to directly interfere with the affairs of mortals, other than my ward, I would have saved all of us the trouble. Unfortunately, the task is beyond my obligations and I must abide by Her will, and Her will alone."

"Who are you?" Chung couldn't help but ask, seeing as this man seemed to be so hell-bent on forcing the prince to act on his behalf.

The man's eyes narrowed as he paused only long enough to consider the mortal's words directed at him.

"Ainchase. Ainchase Ishmael. You may simply refer to me as Ain."

"The other angels like to refer to him as 'asshole'," the mage retorted under her breath, getting a disapproving grunt from Ain.

"Ain," Chung began, "I can't do it. Not when there's so much still left unsaid to my father. There are many things I wish to ask him, but you're asking me to kill him?"

The angel tapped his foot impatiently, "What is it that you wish to know?"

"Who did this, for starters," Chung motioned at the Dark El that protruded out of his father's head, "I want to know how he had come to be what he is; what happened before all of this."

"And what will this help you achieve?" the angel asked, indifferently, "Once you acquire this knowledge, what do you hope to do?"

"I… I'm not sure. I just want to know."

The angel snorted, clearly unmoved by the prince's words, "The quest for knowledge may be admirable, but without purpose, it is little more than a waste of time. What matters at this very moment is you usurping your father's throne and freeing your land from the filth that infests it. Do you realize that so long as he lives, the permafrost that imprisons your people will never melt? He is also the reason why the demon horde is so determined to return to the Halls of Water. They are not after the Water El Stone, as you humans incorrectly assumed, but are instead seeking to protect their only surviving Demon Lieutenant within their brood. At this very moment, I can sense the life force of your friends fading as they battle to keep the beasts at bay. At this rate, they will  _not_  survive. I've stated it once and I'll state it again: You  _must_  kill King Helputt."

"How can you be so heartless?" the prince retorted, "All I ask is for a moment, just so I can get some closure. Is that too much to ask?"

Again the angel tapped his foot impatiently, the glowing gem in his pendant waned.

"If I am able to provide the answers you seek, will you carry out your task?"

The prince paused, as the thought of killing his father was still an obstacle he felt was beyond his own ability.

"Answer. Now. Time is short and I am certain you will get nothing from your father."

"How can you be so sure?" the prince challenged, garnering only a look of exasperated annoyance from the angel.

"I am the emissary of Her Eminence, Ishmael. I have watched over the petty squabbles of your kind for centuries. I've witnessed everything that took place under Her rule. The demonic corruption that has befallen your father is something no mortal can withstand. He will give you nothing, as the mere thought of his perpetrators only fuels the hatred that powers the stone lodged in his brain. Your best source of answers is through me."

"Fine!" the prince continued, seeing as possibly his last window of opportunity was beginning to close, "I-I'll do it. Will you tell me?"

Satisfied with the prince's promise, the emissary turned towards the opposite end of the room.

"The answer you seek," Ain replied, extending his free hand as he pointed towards the magical gateway, "Is contained within a small, magically-sealed box, just over there."

Chung stared at him, waiting for more but it was clear that the angel was already waiting for him to uphold his end of the bargain.

"That's all?" He gave the angel an incredulous look. "There's nothing else you can tell me?"

"The location of the box is all you need know."

Clearly unsatisfied with the information, Chung moved to protest but was stopped by the mage still standing in front of him.

"Chung," she urged, "I've only known him for a few days but believe me: Ain  _never_  reveals his true intentions. At least not directly. He means well but he's not even allowed to interfere with us like he just did with you. I think this is his way of bending the rules the best he can—for your sake."

"But—" Chung protested, only to be interrupted by Aisha once more.

"I know it seems unfair, but I feel this is really all he can do for you. This was why he brought me, as well. He wishes to aid you but he can't do so; at least not without me."

"Then what will you do?" Chung asked, half wishing the girl could carry out the execution herself, though he felt that may be beyond her.

"That's a good question," the mage then turned to the angel, "I've freed him from his father's grasp. I don't suppose I can't make it any easier for Chung, can I?"

"Taking a life is strictly against the rules of the celestial realm. This is basic fact."

"Yeah, but there must be something else," Aisha insisted.

The angel rubbed his chin in thought. The light in his pendulum began to flicker out and, for a moment, time seemed to briefly return to its normal pace before freezing once more.

"We have only a few more seconds. Less if I lend you the remainder of my El."

"I think I know just what to do," Aisha nodded, confidently. She turned her attention back to the prince, wearing a sad smile that he had only seen during heartfelt farewells.

"Chung. I really wish our time together didn't end like this—"

"Aisha?"

She continued as if she hadn't heard him speak, "—but, for your well-being, I really hope this is the last time we meet. At least until old age gets the better of you. You're an amazing person, Chung, and I pray for a future a million times brighter than these last few weeks. I know what we are asking of you is no easy task, but please don't lose sight of who you are. Just hang in there for a little while longer, okay?"

She waited for his response and, after a long pause, the guardian managed a simple nod. The mage glanced over her shoulder, nodding at the angel who proceeded to tap the pendulum in his hand and causing it to swing.

The purple-haired mage extended her arms toward Chung, stepping closer to him as she invited him for one final embrace. The prince did not hesitate, quite literally falling into her arms as he held his dear friend tightly. He saw the remaining El leave the pendulum as time slowly returned to its normal pace.

"Goodbye, Chung."

"Goodbye," the prince choked back his tears, "Aisha."

There came a bright flash as a white circle expanded outward from the mage. As the circle enveloped the entirety of the room, he could feel the soft fabric under his arm fade away. The warmth of her body disappeared and the soft hint of lavender vanished from his senses forever.

Time resumed its pace once more and, as the prince turned to face his king, he wasn't surprised at all to see what Aisha had done:

The king unwillingly knelt before the prince, the shackles of the binding circle spell kept the man's legs rooted to the floor and his hands safely locked to his side. The demon within the king caused his father's body to struggle, but even the might of the Colossus could not break the magical bindings.

This was Chung's last chance. In the state he was in, once the bindings fade, the prince was in no condition to fight back against his father. With the guardian stone all but destroyed, there was literally nothing left in the young man's arsenal, should he be forced to take on his father head to head. He had to do this. It ended here.

Chung staggered, moving as best as his legs could in the stiff armor towards Hamel's fallen king. With adrenaline slowly leaving his system it was only a matter of time before his body would finally succumb to shock, if his father hadn't ended him by then. There was still a lifetime's worth of words he wished to exchange with his father; a lifetime of moments he wished he could have spent.

But fate had always been cruel.

He had finally come to realize this after years of clinging onto childish ideals. This was the way things were in the life he chose to pursue. He couldn't save everyone. The code of a guardian was written by a naive fool who had never seen the truth in a life of conflict.

This was the reality.

And as the energies of the Dark El shard thrummed underneath his firm grip, he embraced this reality he had long refused to accept.

"Father," the prince began as he slowly gathered the courage to end his father's life, "I take no joy in the crime I am about to commit, but know that I do so with the best intentions in mind."

The heir to the throne felt a chilling sense of calm wash over the former king; No longer did he struggle.

"Before I grant you the release of death, I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that I will do everything in my power to restore our kingdom to its former glory. This I promise you."

Chung gripped the shard tighter in his hand. His cyan eyes remain locked with the sickly yellow, holding on to this moment for as long as he could. The magical bindings were beginning to fade. His time with his father was drawing to a close.

"Chung—" The kings voice was nothing but a weak whisper now. With what little the king could do given his situation, Helputt bowed his head at Chung. Traditionally the king was supposed to kneel before removing his crown and present it gracefully to the heir to the throne. To Chung, however, this was more than enough. "I love you," Helputt said, raising his head from the deep bow. The words were forced out, yet the emotion in them was palpable.

The newly orphaned king shut his eyes. "I love you too, dad."

With one sharp pull, the shard was removed.

* * *

"I'm going in there," Pet declared, prompting Zero to chase after her as she strode towards the gateway.

"Now we're talking! That's the boss I know and love!" the companion turned to the other two Nasods, "C'mon, you lazy asses, let's get in there and see what the hell's taking Chung so long!"

Remy let out a series of shrill chirps and whistles that neither Sasha or Pet could understand. As the white drone did so, it hovered defensively in front of Eve who sat quietly cradling the black drone in her arms.

"Yeah, but," Zero tried to interject but was forced out of speaking.

"I know, but you see-"

Remy continued to warble on and on in a way that seemed to quickly dissuade the yellow drone from leaving their side.

The chirping ceased as silence befell them all. Only the sound of Remy's gear's whirring, as if the machine was catching its breath, could be heard.

"Boss," the young lady's companion muttered after Remy had finished scolding him, "She has a point. Maybe we should just stay here a bit longer."

"Are you serious?!" Pet was beside herself in disbelief, "You were bitching at me for following orders for the past two hours and  _now_  you're telling me it's better to stay put? Did you not feel those tremors shortly after Chung stepped through those gates? Did that not bother you in the slightest? For all we know, he could be calling for help and we're sitting here with our thumbs up our asses! To hell with following orders! I'm going to check on him with or without your help!"

"That won't be necessary," Sasha said, suddenly rising to her feet.

"And how would you know?!" Pet continued, "If anything, you should be coming with me. What if he's seriously hurt—"

The blonde was cut off when she noticed Sasha was staring off over her shoulder. Eve rose to her feet as well, prompting Pet to follow their gaze towards the magical gateway at the far end of the room.

At the gate stood a person that none of the three women recognized. It was a child. Dressed in commoners clothes, the individual tentatively entered the room, eyes scanning the world around him as a woman followed; likely the child's mother. The father appeared shortly after.

Dozens more flooded through the gates, each as confused and frightened as the next. It only took a moment for Sasha to realize these were the frozen refugees that were trapped within the trials control center.

"He did it," Sasha whispered as Pet quickly began to push her way through the growing crowd.

"But where's Chung?" the young woman asked as she scanned the now hundreds of faces that pushed their way into the halls.

"Chung?! Where are you? Have any of you seen Chung?" Pet asked every other individual she passed for the whereabouts of the prince but received nothing but cryptic murmurs of a "white wolf" before being directed deeper into the crowd.

Only when the girl caught a glimpse of a Hamelian carrying her friend's cannon did she feel she was getting close. Yet, seeing anyone but the prince carry his weapon only strengthened the feeling of dread as her search grew more and more frantic. The more people that passed through the room, the more keenly aware of the somber expression each and every one of the refugees had written over their faces.

It wasn't until the body of the former king was carried out on the shoulders of eight men that Pet truly began to worry. Each of the eight men that dutifully ferried their king's corpse through the room did so with their heads lowered in a solemn bow.

Her questioning ceased at the sight of the body and she quietly let them pass before renewing her search without saying another word.

Not too long afterwards, Pet finally found the person she was looking for. She brought a hand over her mouth as the body of the former prince lay in the arms of another Hamelian. His entire body was riddled with cuts and bruises. His right arm was nothing but a swollen blue bag of flesh. As the Hamelian carried him along, the former prince's head hung lifelessly over the man's arm.

"Chung?!" Sasha's voice was heard over the crowd and the water priestess was seen leaving the deceased king's side, hurrying over to Chung's body.

"El Lady, above," the priestess gasped as she looked over the young man's wounds.

"High Priestess," The Hamelian said in a humbled bow, "I had no idea you were nearby. Had I known I would have—"

The priestess ignored him as she quickly searched for a pulse.

"I-is he going to be okay?" Pet's voice trembled as she feared for the worst.

Without so much as a word of confirmation, the priestess motioned for the man to set the guardian's body down. She gestured everyone to give her space as she quickly, yet carefully, straightened the young man's arms and legs.

Pet watched as the priestess knelt at the young man's side, locking her hands together as she whispered a deep frantic prayer. El surrounded Chung's body as Sasha repeated her mantra over and over again. As minutes passed, nothing seemed to change and it was only then that Pet quietly began to listen to the words that the priestess whispered with increasing desperation.

"El Lady above, by your mercy, I humbly ask that you return the soul of our dearly departed."

She repeated this prayer over and over again as the meaning behind the words slowly dawned on Pet.

Chung was dead.

"No!" Pet gasped, clasping her hand tightly over her mouth as she withheld the urge to scream.

This couldn't happen. After all she had done, after losing everything in her own timeline, she vowed to never let it happen if she could prevent it. Now, after all the sacrifices she had made to travel back in time, it wasn't supposed to end like this.

Over and over, Sasha repeated her mantra, all the while fighting the urge to simply give up.

"Chung," Pet whispered, body shaking as she stared at the lifeless body, "don't you dare leave us. You can't die. Please… please don't die..." The desperation in her voice only added to the emotion clinging to her every word.

The crowd parted as the Queen of Nasods entered the circle. She scanned over the other two women before her golden eyes fell on the lifeless body on the ground.

No tears nor any sign of grief was shown on the emotionless machine as she silently knelt by Chung's head. She set aside the inert black drone before lifting the guardian's head and resting it on her lap. Her eyes fell on Sasha, quietly urging her to continue as Eve gently ran her fingers through the guardian's hair.

The priestess only protested briefly before realizing any form of help was better than none. She let the Nasod continue, though doubted much of anything could be done to revive the dead boy at this point.

Eve's fingers combed gently through the guardian's blood-stained locks, as Pet became acutely aware of a grainy static hum that was nearly drowned out from the frantic prayer. It took a moment, but Pets sharp ears caught a barely audible tune through the rough grating sound similar to a broken speaker. Straining to find its source, Pet quickly traced its origins to the Nasod cradling Chungs head.

She was humming.

Though it sounded grating and pathetically off-tune, Eve was undoubtedly humming a lullaby for him.

He stirred.

To everyone's shock and disbelief, Chung's chest rose and fell immediately, drawing in a single weak gasp of air as his head rolled ever so slightly down Eve's leg.

"How did you—" Pet began but was at a complete loss for words at the miracle that just took place.

"Even my most desperate prayers were left unanswered, yet you were able to breathe life back into him," the priestess commented, "how did you do it?"

Eve's eyes traveled from Pet to Sasha and back again before returning her gaze to the sleeping young man. His breathing had stabilized by this point, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to utter anything at all.

After some time struggling, the Nasod settled on a single, grainy, word. One that no one understood:

" _Nanomachines._ "


	34. The Heart of a Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demons have vanished. Ran has been run out of his kingdom... and the king is dead. With Chung as the sole heir to the throne, it rests on him to pull Hamel out of the ashes of war and rebuild it into the nation it once was. Hopefully the worst is behind him.

The orange-yellow of a distant incandescent campfire was all Chung could see. He knew this place: it was their favorite spot overlooking Ruben. His bare feet crunched against the dry leaves as they carried him through the forest towards the light source. He could hear the canopy rustle as a breeze approached. A deathly chill surrounded him, coaxing him to double his pace towards the safety of the fire.

Distant laughter could be heard. It was his friends. They were waiting for him at the camp. He had to hurry. The chill was beginning to freeze his body. Each step was like walking through molasses, yet he pressed on. He had to reach them; They were counting on him.

Someone had stepped out in front of him. The silhouette of a heavily armored individual, bearing a mace in one hand, appeared suddenly in front of him with her back turned towards him. The faint light of the campfire shined around her as she simply stood in Chung's way.

Chung heard his own voice speaking all around him.

"I never heard much about this war," his voice chuckled.

"That's because your nation lost," the voice that undeniably belonged to Noah, echoed.

Chung's voice took over as it echoed in what sounded like the mess hall of the Black Crow, "...leading to Velder's occupation of Hamel."

"I lost so much on this gods forsaken kingdom," the former captain of the Royal Guard said. As he drew close, however, she grew more and more transparent, and began melting away like ash in the wind. "And for what? For Velder? What do they even hope to gain from throwing so many lives here?"

Pain shot through his right arm as something took hold. He didn't look back yet he knew this presence all too well. He could hear his evil cackle, the voice of a corrupted man who took his world from him.

"Your little crusade is misguided," the voice of Ran whispered into his ear. He could feel his cold breath as another soft cackle sent him into a panic. He pulled, wrenching his arm from the shadow that took hold of him. It didn't matter that his bones were breaking, it didn't matter that his tendons were tearing or his skin was beginning to rip, he had to run. He had to flee.

The Hamelian broke free—at the cost of his arm, no less, but he was free. He stumbled to the safety of the fire, welcoming its radiance as it embraced him in its light. A circle of logs surrounding the fire was there to greet him, yet they were vacant as not a single person was there to wait for him.

His friends continued to laugh, but they were nowhere to be seen. They were distant just as before, yet their laughter continued. It was different now. They were teasing—possibly even jeering. They weren't laughing with each other—they were laughing at him. Or perhaps it had always been this way: They've always seen him as a fake; A fraud.

"Hey! There he is!" a voice directly to his right startled him and he turned to see the tall, horribly disfigured body of a man who had suffered a fall from several hundred feet in the air. Despite a body that could barely keep shape from its broken bones, Roger raised a mug to him.

"Here's to the hero of the hour—no, the year! Three cheers to Chung, everyone, for making us wait under a rain of arrows for his slow ass to save the day!"

The distant voices all cheered, each volley of praise growing with such malice that it made Chung want to shrivel up and die on the spot.

Through the increasing volume that nearly caused him to grow deaf, the Hamelian became acutely aware of movement in his peripheral vision.

Whirling around, he found himself nearly running into the short square figure of a man. A large gash marred his throat, rendering him unable to speak. Mud looked up at him, wearing that same goofy smile as he handed him a tin can filled with red leaf tea. Chung refused it as nausea began to fill him. This was sick. What was going on? Why was this happening?

Again, the square soldier beckoned him to take it and the young man shook his head, backing away before tripping over a stump and falling backwards onto the log next to Roger.

"Chung? What's on your mind?" Aisha's voice echoed with concern coming from his direct left where Roger should have been. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a small, bloody hand reach for him.

"It's not like you to sit here all by yourself. You can tell your big sis anything."

He snatched at the hand, turning to face her fully and found himself staring directly into the sickly yellow eyes of his father. His hand gripped not the arm of his old friend but the shard lodged deep within his father's forehead.

"Kill me," Helputt whispered.

"No—!" Chung choked.

"Do it!"

"I can't… I—" he looked at his left hand and found he was no longer holding a shard, but a spear. In front of him was not his father but Aisha, a look of vengeful hatred splayed across her face.

"Traitors!" the king's voice jeered through Aisha's lips, "Cowards! After everything I've done for you… Everything I've sacrificed…"

Their words were sharp as they punched through his chest.

"Do it!" Aisha screamed, "For the good of the realm!"

Cold fingers laced around his left hand, driving it into the mage's gut. His eyes widened in horror as the spear was twisted, opening the wound. Aisha's face contorted in agony, the tip of the weapon pulling out of her unceremoniously.

A mischievous giggle caused him to turn his head. Ara stood next to him, smiling weakly as her beaten and abused body staggered over to him. She embraced him as she whispered a soft "Thank you" in her native tongue before stepping back. Still in shock from he had just been forced to do, Chung could only stare, mouth agape, as he hastily dropped the bloody murder weapon.

Ran was at Ara's side and he smiled at the young man before dipping his head in a deep, respectful bow. His sister followed suit in a formal curtsy.

"We are not your real enemy," Ran said, head still lowered as the echoes of laughter taunted him once more. A spark from the campfire caused the dead grass around the area to catch fire and, in a matter of moments, the entire site was ablaze. The two before him remained unmoving despite the unquenchable fire that surrounded them.

"Consider my words," the Demon General laughed, raising his head to meet the young man's gaze, " _King of Hamel_."

* * *

Light scorched his eyes. It was as if someone had taken the sun and injected it directly into his retinas. His body refused to move and it felt as though his head were mere seconds away from bursting. He had read many books that described the afterlife as warm, pleasant—relaxing, even. Although, if the goddess had nothing but this waiting for him, then he would much rather do without it.

This wasn't the afterlife, however. He had been in this same exact situation before… only this time, his body didn't ache as horribly. The only pain he felt was in his head and eyes.

Chung laid there for a moment, letting his vision adjust, but found it near impossible to do so with the setting sun casting its orange glow directly at his face.

The sound of a heavy metal door swinging open could be heard just beyond his peripherals, followed by a noisy clang that only caused the throbbing in his head to worsen.

"Ugh, she forgot to close the window again," the female voice sighed as the sound of boots on solid stone could be heard clopping their way to the other side of the room.

After a brief moment of shuffling, the light that once burned Chung's eyes was snuffed and he grunted an inaudible word of thanks to his savior as she stepped closer to him.

Chung heard cloth being wrung from a bowl before the warm contact against his forehead caused his whole body to stir.

"I know, I know," the female voice cooed as she continued to wash the young man's face and upper body, "It's only for a moment. I'll let his highness rest as soon as I'm done."

He knew this voice: the sense of calm and reassurance it brought whenever this person was around. The world would be a much better place if more people like Useli were around. He could feel the towel scrub lightly against his chest and along his left arm. The way the woman worked was methodical, quick; as if she had done this to thousands of patients before him.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that Nasod even let me do this," she commented, running the cloth through each of his fingers before getting up and moving to the other side of the bed, "Considering how defensive she has been about letting anyone touch you."

She was heard shuffling around at his right side and Chung was sure she was still washing him, but it was odd. He couldn't feel anything on the right side. A sinking feeling in his gut surfaced as he remembered the horrible truth of the matter. His right arm had been shattered. Did that mean—

"Look," Useli sighed as she carefully lifted something from his right, "She didn't even clean his fingers properly. And she was so sure of her own ability to take care of him. Honestly. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

There was a brief period of silence as the medic did her job. Though the young man felt nothing, the sound of her scrubbing was enough of to let him know that what he feared would only be fleeting.

"Remarkable work, though," she whispered, as Chung felt her eyes scan over him, "I still haven't gotten a word from her about her methods. Maybe we can swap tips. She can tell me how she mended his arm, I can tell her how to properly wash a man."

The half-elf grumbled on and on, criticizing the work of others as she slowly worked her way down his body. She peeled the covers away from the rest of him, causing a cold breeze to wash over him as she whispered a half-hearted "excuse me" before pulling at the latex lining of his shorts. Instinctively, Chung's hand moved down to stop her.

Useli gasped, pulling her hand back and jumping out of the chair as the hot water splashed onto her lap, spilling onto the floor. Their eyes met and it was then that she realized that her patient was, indeed, conscious.

"H-hi," the young man's voice came out as a whimper. She stepped back, nearly tripping on the metal bowl on the floor before she managed to find her own voice.

"Hi—" she began, hand blindly reaching behind her in search of the door, "Hi—"

Chung tilted his head as the woman found the door and quickly unlatched it before running out.

"High Commander!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the young man to wince in pain from the shrill of her voice. The slam of the door accompanied and the poor Hamelian groaned as the clang echoed over and over in his head.

Chung tried to bring his hand to his temple, but the journey from his waist to his head was too great for him to do much. Still largely paralyzed throughout his entire body, finding the ability to even move his arm proved difficult.

His focus turned back towards the plain tan ceiling. From the aged stone, he guessed they must be in the ancient waterway. At least, that was as much as he was able to deduce, in his dazed state. Even laying completely still, he could feel himself teetering in and out of consciousness. Without some form of stimulation to wake him, Chung felt as if he might drift back into an unconscious state.

Judging by the way Useli ran out of the room, the others must have been waiting eagerly for him to awaken. Unaware of what was going on beyond the walls of his room, and still struggling to remember what had happened to him that put him at such a state, he could only assume the worst and wait anxiously for an update on the state of his kingdom. The young man fought the urge to fall asleep as long as he could, even going as far as letting his mind wander to unpleasant thoughts.

The dream he had; he could still feel the chill that that seemed to have followed him out into the waking world. Like an ever-looming presence, an unsettling silence began to take hold of him. He dared not remember what happened in his dream, but of all the voices he tried to blot out, one voice remained: "Consider my words, King of Hamel." A shadowy figure hovered over his bedside. It was Ran. He was taunting him! He had to do something!

He felt his chest tighten as he remembered his title. He wasn't a prince anymore. The tightening in his chest became suffocating as he remembered the very reason why this reality came to pass: he had killed his father.

A haggard gasp escaped Chung's lips. He couldn't breathe. Slowly, his arm slid up to his chest as the memories flooded in. He could feel his nails digging into his ribcage in an attempt to avert the weight of his own actions that crushed his heart.

" _Why?_ " he thought as the the phantom sensation of Dark El thrumming in his palms surfaced, " _Why did it have to end this way?_ "

The door flew open as Velder's High Commander stepped into the room with Useli close behind. Like a ghost, the sensation vanished around him and he was left staring dumbfounded at the two visitors.

"What's wrong with him?" Penensio said, motioning at the blood that started to trickle from the fingers pressed against Chung's chest.

The medic quickly rushed to his side, grabbing him by the hand as she tried to pull his arm away.

"I'm not sure—he must be confused," the half-elf managed to pull the young man's fingers away and she stared at the deep puncture wounds his fingers had left, "Chung? Chung are you there? I need you to calm down. You're not dreaming anymore. You're awake. You're safe."

He stared into her hypnotic green eyes. If he didn't know her, he could have easily mistaken her for casting some form of mind control spell that forcibly calmed him, but there was no magic in the natural calm her presence gave him. His heart rate slowed as he came to grips with his conscious state.

Pain returned to his chest as green, incandescent light, shined from under the half-elf's palm. Blood pooling at his wounds were pushed outward as the four pits in his chest reverted back to their undamaged state. The young man grunted from the sensation and Useli responded in kind, gently running her free hand over his hair as she comforted him with soft whispers of reassurance.

"He's… alright, isn't he?" the High Commander asked, still standing near the doorway.

Useli nodded, "This happens occasionally to people waking from a coma. They're confused. They hallucinate. But it's not something to take lightly. He could've hurt himself if we weren't here."

"H-how—" Chung muttered, coaxing the other two to lean closer as he tried to speak, "How long?"

"One and a half weeks," Penensio answered, "It's been one and a half weeks since the defense of the Halls of Water. I still find it hard to believe we managed to pull through with the numbers we had."

The two of them waited as Chung absorbed this bit of information and, after a moment, the medic turned to the High Commander, "Should I inform the others?"

"If you think his majesty is stable enough."

"For now, at least. If he does act up before I return, again. Just be sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Penensio nodded and Useli rose from the young man's bedside, giving the Hamelian an angelic smile before hurrying out of the room.

They both listened as the footsteps faded down the hall, neither moving or saying a word even well after Useli was long gone.

Noting that the High Commander was simply observing him, the new King focused mainly on the jump in time from when he was last conscious.

"One and a half weeks," Chung mumbled after a while, his voice raspy as he spoke. High Commander Penensio nodded and paced towards the single window in the room. He peeked through it, scanning the outside world as moonlight greeted the man.

"Since then, we've begun our cleanup effort and established shelters for the refugees. Another ship should be on the way with more food and other goods for the relief effort."

"How are the civilians?" he spoke slowly, clinging on to each word as he fought an upward battle against his own conscious state, "Hanging in there, hopefully?"

"I think they've weathered the worst of it. It's only up from here, I believe," the veteran replied, as he shut the window and took a seat at the young man's bedside.

The king managed a small grunt of approval before turning the conversation towards the Red Knight, "And the others, High Commander? How are they?"

"If you mean the El Search Party, then they're fine. No worse for wear, though had the demons not vanished when they did, we would have surely been overwhelmed."

"They… vanished?"

"In a puff of black smoke. We held for as long as we could in the narrow corridors but there was only so much you could do with fifty soldiers. We were waist deep in demon guts by then but all of a sudden the beasts just all crumbled to dust. It was as if the Dark El within them suddenly shattered. Shortly after that, your people emerged out of the Temple of Trials."

"I see," Chung connected the string of events in his head, remembering his visit from the celestial realm and how the angel had been right; how his father's death would halt the assault on the Halls of Water. "No signs of a demon counter-attack?"

Penensio shook his head, "None."

"So… it's over?"

"I wouldn't let our guard down just yet, but, so far it seems like it. If Ran wishes to return, he has a long journey over Hamel's expansive mountain range to worry about."

The young man laid his head back, shutting his eyes as a deep sigh escaped his lips. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his chest.

"Thank you, High Commander," he whispered.

Penensio shrugged his shoulders as he resisted the urge to smile at the young man. "Just doing my job."

Someone knocked at the door before opening and the two turned to see the otter-man step in with Useli escorting him. Denka regarded his king with a deep bow.

"My king, forgive my late arrival. I abandoned my duties as soon as word came that you had indeed awakened from your slumber."

"No need to apologize… 'my king' huh?" Chung said, not quite comfortable with that title.

"I'm aware of the need for customary coronation ceremony, your majesty," Denka began with a rather forced laugh, "but given our situation that isn't possible yet. We still have much to do."

"As long as the refugees are being taken care of. They need more help than I do."

A sad smile crossed the otter's lips as he approached Chung's bedside, "You know, your father would have said the same exact thing."

"Where is he? My father, I mean."

Denka threw the High Commander a questioning look, to which Penensio shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought it was best you'd tell him. It was your idea, after all," Penensio said to the otter.

"Tell me what? Where is my father?" Chung asked again, anxiety growing in his voice.

"Your majesty," Denka began nervously, "It's just that, we were unsure of when you would awaken. We tried to wait as long as we could but the bodies we had were already beginning to decompose. We held your father's funeral a few days prior along with the rest of the men and women who died in battle."

"You buried my father... without me?" the young man's voice cracked. Even the High Commander lowered his head at the king's words.

"It was the most reasonable action, your majesty," Denka replied, dropping to the floor in a deep bow, "Any longer and our citizens would surely begin to suffer from exposure to disease."

The otter-man had his forehead pressed on the floor, his hands in front in a show of complete submission. Chung never had anyone do this towards him. Was this what it was like to be king? He didn't like it. Not if people were this afraid to address him.

"Please understand, your majesty. We had no idea when you would wake so—"

"Enough," Chung muttered, "Stand, Denka. You did the right thing. I'm more upset at myself for not waking in time."

"No, your majesty. Surely, I could've done better—"

"Denka, really, it's fine. Just… take me to him."

"Eh?" the advisor looked up from his deep bow, adjusting his glasses in confusion as the young king tried to shuffle his way to the edge of the bed, "You mean right now?"

"No better time than the present," Chung grunted as he swung his legs over the edge with much effort. His head spun with the movement and he gripped the side of the bed in an attempt to steady himself.

Denka and Useli hurried to his bedside, moreso in a way to keep him from getting up.

"Chung," Useli whispered, lightly pressing him down by his shoulder, "What you need is rest. Give your body time to recover its motor functions. Especially with what happened with your arm."

Chung blinked, remembering the lack of sensation in his right side. With strength returning to some of his body he glanced down, expecting to find, at worst, a stub where his right arm should be.

Strangely enough, there his arm was. Save for its slightly purple tinge across his pale skin, the arm looked largely unscathed. As before he felt nothing coming from his right side, yet the arm moved, raising at its joint and turning to let him inspect it. He tried to clench his hand into a fist and it did so, but it was strange. It didn't feel like it was his yet it abided by his mind's will to move and allow him to inspect it. A visible line of stitches could be seen along the underside of his forearm that traveled up to the halfway point in his bicep.

"Everything's alright with your arm… right?" the medic asked. The uncertainty in her voice only caused more anxiety in the young man.

"What happened to it? I can't feel anything," he asked, trying to get the feeling to return to his arm as he ran it across the rough linen bed sheet.

"You're going to have to ask the Nasod about that. I couldn't get much out of her other than I had to reattach your tendons and stitch your wounds."

"She didn't say what she did?"

Useli shook her head, "She didn't say much at all, actually."

"I see."

"Regardless," Denka began after clearing his throat, "I think it wise you get some rest first, before anything else. We'll take you to your father soon, your majesty, I assure you. It's just that with you as our king, your role in our nation is going to shift dramatically. At the moment, our people are doing their best to make with what little we can scrape by with. Morale is low and you, the White Wolf, are our people's new beacon of hope. If you are to show your face to our people, it is imperative you do so when you are well and able to."

"The White Wolf?" Chung tilted his head at the title.

"As you fought our former king, the magic that held our people within their frozen prison began to weaken. Many of our people that were trapped within the permafrost witnessed your battle with the White Colossus. They claimed you fought with the cunning and ferocity of a wolf."

"It didn't feel like that to me," Chung muttered as he forced the memory of the fight out of his head once more, "So when can I visit my father's grave?"

"Tomorrow," Useli said, "I think, if I'm careful, I can speed up the recovery process without risking you falling unconscious."

"And when you're well enough, your majesty," Denka added, "I think it would be a good idea to hold an audience with your people. Just a quick speech. It would help to bring their spirits up after what we all have been through."

"A speech, huh?" the king quietly considered the suggestion, though never held an audience of that size before. "Yeah… I think that'd be a good idea. I wouldn't know what to say, exactly."

"I'll prepare a speech for you, my king. That is what I'm here for, after all."

"I'd very much appreciate that," the king nodded, laying back to relax once more.

"We'll leave him in your capable hands, then, Useli" Penensio said, pushing off the wall and motioning Denka to follow.

"Advisor, before you go," Chung called, bringing both of the men to a halt at the doorway, "I have a favor to ask."

* * *

His head swam as the feeling of exhaustion persisted over him. Despite this, he couldn't sleep much that night. Aside from the fact that Useli had been healing him and conducting a crash course of motor therapy on him, the sleepy hours of early morning granted him no peace of mind. His mind was filled with questions that needed answering and it brought a state of unrest that denied him any sleep when he tried. It was strange, swimming in the sea of gray in his mind. It felt as if it had been years since he had time to actually sit and reflect on what has happened thus far.

The door to his room unlatched, catching the king's attention as he sat up from his bed. A black drone and a white drone as well as a pair of golden eyes peeked in from behind the doorway. Light from the early sunrise filtered in through the doorway, catching the shadows of several people standing behind his first visitor of the day.

"Is he awake?" Rena's voice was heard whispering behind the Nasod, prompting her to nod at the people behind her. With the simple gesture, what remained of the El Search Party filed in to wish the young king a good morning. Rena, Raven, Elesis, and Eve all stood at the foot of Chung's bed, with Rena being the first to rush to his side.

"Good to see you're still hanging in there," Rena said softly as she took a seat next to him.

"Likewise," Chung replied, looking over at Elesis who was currently hobbling along on crutches. A cast was wrapped around her right leg and Raven quickly brought her a chair to sit on, which she quickly declined. Chung continued, "I heard you guys almost didn't make it."

"An exaggeration. We had it under control, so whatever you were doing, you could've taken your time, really," Elesis said, light sarcasm in her voice as she leaned forward, resting her chin on one of her crutches.

"Can you walk?" Raven asked, noticing Chung had been clenching and unclenching both his fists since they've entered.

"I can. It was a bit shaky last night when Useli was helping me out, but I eventually got my legs back with her help," he replied, eyes softening before his brows furrowed. He looked over the group, noticing the absence of wild crimson hair. "By the way, where's Elsword?"

The three of them looked at each other upon bringing up their fearless leader and, for a while, none of them answered.

"He's around," Elesis shrugged.

"Is he coming to visit?"

"Eh, you'll run into him eventually," the Blazing Heart reassured him. Chung couldn't help but note the hint of hesitancy in her voice.

"He's okay, right?"

"Yeah," Elesis replied rather quickly, "Yeah he's fine, he's just… tired."

"I think we all are," Rena added, plastering on a smile, "Even though Ran's army has disappeared, Penensio has us on sixteen-hour watches."

"I don't blame him," Raven said, crossing his arms, "With only a handful of us left, I'd have everyone on extended watch as well. But with today's shipment of fresh troops we should be able to get more rest in the next few days."

"New troops?"

Raven nodded, "Velder's scrounging up what they can to aid us. Word of our victory has already spread through Lurensia so we can expect a few more bodies to bolster our defenses over the course of a few weeks."

"That's good to hear," Chung sighed, flopping back on the bed.

They were all silent for a long time as Chung basked in the long-forgotten feeling of security.

"You did great, Chung," Rena said softly.

"Yeah?" the king chuckled, turning his eyes to her as she nodded.

"Definitely," Elesis agreed.

"So is it true about what you said the other day?" Raven butted in, garnering the attention of everyone in the room. Rena tried to silence him, placing a finger over her lips but the mercenary ignored her. "You said you were going to leave us after this; that this was going to be the last time you worked with the El Search Party. Do you still feel that way?"

All eyes were on the king, now. From the look on each of the three faces, it had been something that had bothered them for quite some time. Despite Rena not wishing the matter to be brought up now, she looked on in anticipation for his answer. The young king dropped his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck as he had honestly forgotten about what he had said over a week ago.

"Chung," Rena began, as she gripped his right hand. He hadn't told her he couldn't feel her and only realized she was holding him when he looked down at her hand, "I understand how you feel about everything that happened. If you feel your time with us is up, then I understand."

"You don't have to answer, yet," Elesis added, "We were just curious is all. You're an important part of our group and, with what little is left of us, traveling the world would be a little lonelier without you to watch our backs."

"I'd prefer it if he answered sooner rather than later," Raven said, dryly. Ever the practical type, the man crossed his arms as he regarded the youngest member of their group with a disposition of an impatient father figure, "With our work done here, we need to worry about our next move. We're not earning any cash just standing around, after all."

Chung kept his eyes away from the others. He considered his choices as he felt their gaze weigh down on him. What could he say? What should he say?

"Raven, you're being too hard on him. He hasn't been awake for more than a day," the elf scolded.

"Actually," Chung said suddenly, "Can we talk about this after I've visited my father? I've sort of been trying to muster the strength to all night and now that Useli's given me the go ahead—"

"We can help," Elesis suggested, tapping one of her crutches on the foot end of his bed.

Chung waved off the offer, "No… no thanks. I think I can manage."

"Are you sure?" the elf asked.

"Yep! I just need a bit of time to think. A lot going through my head, is all."

"I can imagine," Raven sighed, turning to leave, "Well I'll give you a day to think on it. Should give me enough time to plan out our next destination."

"Y-yeah. I'll try to have an answer by then."

The four of them made for the door, and it was only then that Chung realized Eve had been standing off to the side the entire time.

"Eve?" he called, the Nasod stopped at the door, her two drones softly bumping into her as she did so. He wondered why she had been silent the entire time. If there was anyone he'd like to speak to, it would have been her.

"Can I talk to you?"

There was a strange pang of uncertainty that suddenly hit the young man as he asked but as she faced him, he noticed the white ribbon pinned carefully to her top. The queen turned to the others, who had already left the room, and dismissed them before shutting the door and making her way to the king's bedside. She drew closer, and Chung noted a luminescent glint from the golden bead at the ribbon's center. No longer in its burned and torn state, it appeared the ribbon had gone through a careful and rather tedious repair job that restored it to its original luster.

"How are you?" he asked, feeling the bedding shift under Eve's weight as she sat down next to him.

She gave him a quiet shrug. The subtle tells of her body indicated there was "nothing significant to report" as she would put it. Yet, for some reason, he felt that there was. Or rather, he  _knew_  there was something wrong. He could feel it. It was beyond her body language at this point and she looked at him as if affirming what he felt. Why did this sensation feel so familiar to him?

"About my arm," he started, breaking the silence between them, "I've been meaning to ask: Useli said you did something. Did you—"

And suddenly it hit him. The shock of the realization was only enhanced by yet another silent affirmation that Eve gave him not with her body language, but with colors.

Flashes of red and yellow in his mind indicated he hit the mark in his guess: she gave him nanomachines.

"And… my arm, then? Nasod alloy?"

Another flash of red and yellow.

"Until it heals itself, again, right?"

Expecting yet another colorful flare, he was surprised to receive none. Instead, a murky blue and cool grey surfaced with hints of white. She was hesitant.

What followed after was a steady, droning red that faded in and out of a black void.

"What do you mean, no?"

The Nasod sighed, raising a hand as a hologram of a keyboard appeared in front of her. With one hand her fingers danced over the keyboard as several white and black indecipherable pictures appeared before him. It was like staring at black and white bubbles. It was only after a full color shot of his destroyed arm came into view that he realized what he was looking at: xrays of his arm. Looking back at the other images, once more, he saw that the bones in his arms had quite literally shattered into hundreds of pieces with numerous fragments buried deep into his muscle tissue. It wouldn't have taken a doctor to assume the best course of action would be to amputate his arm in any normal situation. Of course, this wasn't a normal situation at all. His arm was still intact, yet he could feel nothing from it.

It didn't feel like his arm because it wasn't.

"You replaced my entire arm with Nasod alloy, didn't you?"

Red and yellow.

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

Blue, grey, and white. He could see in the way her hand rested on her chest that she was more than a bit reluctant to answer.

"Eve?" the king leaned closer, placing a hand on hers as she turned her head away, "You can tell me."

He watched the sudden rise and fall in her chest. Hot blues and prickly yellows. Rejection.

"Eve?"

Still keeping her head turned away, he could see her lips open to speak, yet what came out was garbled static. Eve clutched at her throat as she used the grating sound to form a single word: "broken".

Broken? Her voice was broken? Surely that couldn't be the case. He remembered at one point she had been impaled by a stalagmite only to have the wound completely repaired after a full day. He remembered half of her face being horribly burned by a Red Knight, only to show up the following afternoon as if nothing had happened. Eve had over a week to repair any damage she sustained since the Temple of Trials, so why was her voice still damaged?

Reading his thoughts, Eve filled his mind with the grey hue of uncertainty. Though the black and white bubbles indicated she may have a possible culprit.

Bringing up a command prompt, the Nasod typed in a string of commands that quickly opened several more windows. He had seen these before, all of these gauges and meters appeared whenever she was using her Full Generate Mode.

Amidst the numerous indecipherable displays that flooded his view, one particular flashing red window stood out over the rest:

"Exotic Code Corruption: 43%"

"Is there anyway to fix this?" Chung asked. He had no idea what this Exotic Code was but he understood that nothing good came from any form of corruption.

Eve sighed as uncertainty swirled in the king's head. This wasn't good. He wanted to help her. He owed her so much but when it came to coding, he only knew the bare minimum that Eve had taught him a few weeks ago.

Thinking back on the events that took place, he concluded that the corruption only rose when she used her Full Generate Mode. In fact, the corruption never existed until Add activated it out of curiosity when she was under his control. He seemed surprised to have found it buried in her programming, meaning Eve must have been aware of its existence but never intended to use the program in the first place, or at least as a last resort like during the fight with the bone dragon. But she was able to repair herself before they encountered Add in the third trial. Could it be that the corruption has just reached a certain threshold that is preventing her from fully repairing herself?

Thankfully, the number rose slowly, and in the few days that Eve was with Add, it only seemed to rise to about forty percent up until Chung freed her in the Temple of Trials. If Chung's assumptions were correct, if Eve simply avoided using the program, then she should be fine. But would that number ever drop? What would happen when the corruption reached 100%? Would she lose the ability to repair herself at all? Would she even be able to function?

Chung's train of thought was interrupted when Eve suddenly pinched him on the cheek to grab his attention. With his eyes on her the Nasod waved off his concerns dismissively, which Chung had to disagree with.

"If it's keeping you from speaking, then I have to help."

She tilted her head at him curiously, as if to inquire why he felt obligated to help her. The colors in his head seemed to argue with him, insisting that she would be fine.

"Because it's for your sake. Because this exotic code is corrupting you. I want to help you get back to normal."

Again she waved off the notion dismissively as the torrent of patterns and sensations came together in a concoction he had never experienced before. He couldn't understand her.

"Eve?"

She huffed in frustration before taking Chungs left hand in hers. She pulled it to her chest and held it there, letting the king feel the beat of her heart.

"I… don't understand," he mumbled apologetically.

Eve shut her eyes as the grating sound of her voice box resurfaced. She chose her words carefully as she clearly struggled to form them.

"Don't. Worry."

He felt her grip on his hand tighten as she spoke. This wasn't right. How could he not worry? Eve was troubled by this yet she was insisting that he drop the subject?

"Why?" he asked.

She opened her eyes, golden orbs locking with cyan as she gave him her answer.

"I'm. Still. Me."

"Eve," his brow furrowed as his lips turned downward in a genuine pout. Chung wanted to believe everything would be okay, but this was something he couldn't ignore, "I can't—"

The Nasod placed a finger on his lips, silencing him as she shook her head. She pulled her finger away and the young king felt an assault of pink that reminded him she was able to read his every thought. She leaned forward, resting her hands on his lap as she pressed her lips against his.

In that moment of feeling a warm pair of lips against his, everything that she had felt up until now and onward made a lot more sense. The splash of pinks reds and spritely greens framing the torrent of emotions from earlier was made clear.

_Don't worry,_  she had been trying to tell him,  _I'll figure this out in time. You, however, have a kingdom to rebuild._

They broke the kiss, the Nasod hovering just a hair's distance away as they stared into each other's eyes. Chung sighed. He didn't have to say anything as his thoughts carried his intent for him. He agreed with her. His people needed him and Eve was capable of handling things herself. He just had to trust her in that regard.

"Don't be afraid to depend on me, too, okay?"

Eve didn't move from their intimately close position. She didn't say a thing. He didn't need the nanomachines to understand her either, as her hands slid off his lap towards his own. She entwined her fingers around his as best as she could. The silent acknowledgement was enough of a response while the colors in his head indicated that she wanted another kiss.

* * *

Chung looked over each guardian-in-training. There were forty of them in all: thirty-two boys and eight girls. Each one barely in their late teens and most orphaned when their parents fell to the demon invasion five years ago. Each one stood in a stiff Hamelian salute as the young king appraised each trainee's fighting ability.

Frankly, he didn't know what to look for. Guardian training and selection had been known to be a long, grueling process that took up most of an individual's childhood. The few that stood before him were the best the current militia had to offer but were still far too young to be appointed as paladins.

"Well," he began, "it's a start. But to be honest I don't think anyone here is eligible to become a guardian, yet."

"But, your majesty," Denka protested.

"The road to becoming a paladin is a difficult one. I've seen hundreds try and fail under my father's judgement. Besides, we should be focusing more on establishing a sizable military first before we begin selecting elites."

"My king!" a trainee stepped forward. He was shorter than the rest and was clearly the youngest of the group. The young man maintained his salute as the king and his advisor turned to him. He had black hair shaved down to their stubbles and a stoic face defined by a pronounced jawline and a long scar running from the top right of his temple down to the corner of his lip. This individual looked familiar to Chung.

The trainee continued, "With all due respect: I believe I possess the aptitude to bear a guardian stone."

"Mind who you're talking to, trainee!" Denka scolded but was silenced when their king quietly raised a finger as he pushed away from the advisor, approaching the young trainee.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Zudrick, my king. Everyone calls me Zuzu," the trainee replied, eyes straight ahead as Chung inspected him.

"Okay, Zuzu, think you're good enough, huh? On what grounds?" He stared into the trainee's silver eyes. For a moment, the trainee looked at the king and Chung briefly noticed a grin flash over the young man's face.

"I've already bested you in combat, before."

He knew this grin. In that moment, it felt like he was only ten years old and barely strong enough to lift the training cannon. Standing directly in front of him, and well beyond his skill range, was the same exact face. It was the squire. The same one he sparred against many years ago.

Zuzu picked up Chung's recognition and responded with an affirming nod. Chung smiled back, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll be sure to personally hand you your guardian stone… when you  _earn_  it. Years under ice may have affected your combat ability. But I'll keep an eye on you. You have my word."

"And you have our loyalty, my king! We will follow you to our grave if we must!" Zuzu replied, stepping back in line. It was strange, knowing that the trainee, although he looked younger, was much older than Chung.

He dismissed them all, warning each and every one of them that he'll be monitoring their development closely.

As they left, Chung let out an exhausted sigh, "Is there anything  _else_  I have to do, Denka?"

"There's much to do as Hamel's new King, your majesty. But, we're finished for now."

"I think I understand why my father always left the kingdom to travel," Chung grumbled. An idea popped into his head. "Denka? Raven and the others asked me if I was going to travel with them after all this. Do you think I could—"

"You're not really asking me this, are you?" the advisor groaned wearily, "Forgive my bluntness, your majesty, but your father, as admirable as he was, also had his share of less desirable traits; running from his responsibilities being one of them."

"Oh, but Denka, the kingdom was fine under his absence. Don't you care about the safety of the rest of the world?"

"He also had an organized committee of political leaders to answer on his behalf. You have me. As confident as I am in my ability to do my job, I am only one otter."

"So you're saying I  _have_  to stay here. No leaving whatsoever?"

Now it was Denka's turn to sigh. "You are the king. Your choice is absolute. If you believe it is in our best interest to defend Elrios then by all means, do so. I will do my best to handle the issues at home. But, again, I highly recommend you stay at least for the time being."

"Yeah. You're right," Chung mumbled, following Denka as the otter lead him out of the Ancient waterway.

They were quiet for sometime, as it was clear the king was still weighing his options for the future. Raven and the others needed an answer, and soon. They were leaving to pursue more work and, with Chung's wish to free his country fulfilled as Elsword promised, he was more indebted to them than ever before. He couldn't have made it this far without their help. Would it be wrong to suddenly just leave them after they've sacrificed so much?

"In other news, it's good to see you're well enough to walk, now, your majesty," Denka said as he escorted Chung up an unfinished winding stone stairway, "I've already prepared the speech and if you're up for it, we can hold an audience tomorrow when the relief ships arrive as a way to help lift our people's spirits. It'd also be a welcoming sight for new incoming troops and a heartfelt thank you to the men and women that served with us."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea. I think I can manage standing on my own by then. As long as the speech isn't too long."

"It'll be short and to the point," Denka reassured him.

"So this is my father's resting place?" Chung asked as he clung to Denka's shoulder for support. It was a wide, circular platform resting on top of a hill within Hamel's Royal Family Graveyard between Hamel Castle and the ancient waterway.

Overlooking Resiam's great bay, Helputt's resting place consisted of a sarcophagus adorned with careful masonry work depicting the wars the late king had fought in as well as a stone cut out of the White Colossus' signature armor.

Still largely unfinished, a wall was being erected behind the tomb to support the recently repaired destroyer that Chung had tore in half during the fight.

"Is it to your liking, your majesty?" the otter man asked, motioning towards the three stonemasons currently chipping away at the marble for the wall.

"That's not something I can decide. I was never much of a decorator. Though I'd expect the best from you three for the sake of the late king."

The stonemasons each assured their king that this would be their finest project yet. Satisfied, the king stood before the meticulously detailed sarcophagus and lowered his head in a silent prayer.

He prayed that his father would guide him through the future obstacles he knew would arrive. He prayed for the ability to fill the role tasked before him and that the Hamel would one day rise to its former glory, once more. Lastly, he prayed that his father would find peace wherever he may be.

Chung raised his head, running his arm over his eyes as he turned to his advisor who had waited patiently for him to finish. The king's eyes swept the view of the distant southern horizon. It has been a while since he had a chance to take in the state of the fallen kingdom. There was so much to be done. Very little of Senace's beauty before the attack had remained. The waterway was riddled with craters, Resiam was still half-flooded, the entire castle had been obliterated and the Halls of Water had a giant gaping hole along its cliff face, leaving the entire structure prone to collapse. With only a little more than a thousand people left in his kingdom, would any of this even be worth restoring?

He shook his head. This was his father's kingdom.  _His_  kingdom. He could just start small. With Velder's help in the relief effort, he could easily cover everyone's basic needs and work his way up from there.

Staring over the destroyed ruins of the castle, he couldn't help but feel he was missing something. It was then that he realized that the Black Crow was nowhere to be seen.

"Denka?"

"Yes, my king?"

"Did you guys salvage the Black Crow for parts?"

"No, my king."

"Where is it, then?"

"We, uh, we don't know."

"What? Where could it have gone?"

"As stated, your majesty, we don't know. We assumed the demons might have picked it apart for scraps during their reoccupation of our castle, but upon digging through the rubble, our scavengers found absolutely nothing that belonged to the ship itself. It's as if the ship vanished."

"When was the last it was spotted?"

"As far as the men have reported, they claimed to have seen it still in ruins during the defense of the Halls of Water. That was the last it was reported seen. No one noticed it was missing during the return trip due to the sheer volume of people we had to escort back to the waterway, so the exact time of disappearance is unknown."

"That's unsettling," Chung commented, imagining a demon-piloted airship equipped with enough firepower to level cities. That was yet another thing he had to keep in the back of his mind for now.

"Agreed. Though, there's not much we can do to search for it, given our circumstances at the moment."

"Set this problem aside for us to address later," Chung ordered, prompting Denka to pull out a notebook to scribble down the reminder, "The last thing we need is an airship looming over us."

"Done. Once we have stabilized, I'll have scouts scour the ships whereabouts."

"Good, good," Chung nodded, "Shall we go?" The king rested a hand on the otter's shoulder as they descended down the incomplete stairway that winded down the hill.

"But of course, your majesty," Denka replied, guiding him down safely as they made their way back towards the waterway. As they walked, the advisor opened a pouch at his side, extracting a small wooden box no bigger than a typical spell tome. Looking like nothing more than a simple wooden coffer, the only striking detail about the object were the countless runes that were inscribed all over the wood surface.

"By the way, my king, I've went ahead and asked a few of our able scouts to search the Temple's channeling room like you've asked and retrieved the box just as you requested."

Chung took the box, noting the innate runes that covered it. This was the box Ain had pointed him to that fateful day.

"What's in it?" the king asked, giving it a shake and noting how hollow the object felt in his hands. He attempted to pry it open but found the wooden frame inexplicably difficult to even bend.

"We're not sure, your majesty. We were hoping you'd know, seeing as you specifically asked for it."

"Yeah, well, I can't get it open. The runes are holding it shut. Got any ideas on how to open it?"

"Unfortunately, my field of expertise falls more on elemental magic rather than rune magic. And Hamel isn't exactly known for its runic prowess, so I doubt any of our people would be much help in this regard."

"Hm," Chung scratched his head as he held the urge to simply throw the coffer on the ground and smash it open. Though he doubted that would be good for whatever was stored inside. If Aisha were around she would've been able to help. He remembered seeing a few books in her library regarding the runic arts.

"Actually," an idea popped into his head as he tucked the coffer under his arm, "have you seen Elsword?"

* * *

They stopped at a tent far from the triage area where he assumed Elsword would be. He found himself at the area where most of the Velder soldiers and Hamelian refugees had set up temporary housing while they focused on rebuilding the city. It was only then that Chung remembered the others saying Elsword was no longer bedridden. It was good knowing his friend was well enough, considering the damage he suffered through, but it also troubled the king knowing that Elsword chose not to visit him when the others did. He felt he knew exactly the reason why.

"He has been spending most of his days in here," Denka whispered.

"Here? In our bunking area?" Chung asked. It took him a moment to recognize the place since he had only stuck around for a few hours before he took off after Ran. "So they've discharged him from the recovery ward?"

"That is correct, my king. As of a week ago, the Lord Knight has made a full recovery and was well enough to walk thanks to Sasha and Useli's efforts."

"I see," Chung replied dryly, he turned to the otter and patted him on the shoulder, "Thank you for the escort, Denka. I can manage from here."

"Eh? Are you sure, your majesty? I have no qualms with assisting you if it makes your life easier, really."

"I can manage. Besides," the king turned his eyes to the tent entrance, "I think this is something I need to handle alone."

Denka bowed before taking his leave and the King of Hamel stood in front of the tent, gathering the courage to see his old friend.

"Chung?" a voice caught his attention and he turned to see a blonde woman with electric blue eyes suddenly throw herself on the young man. The force of her tackle nearly knocked the king over.

"Chung!" Pet cried once more, pulling off of him as she quickly looked him over. "You're okay? Since when did you wake up? I honestly thought that I'd be sent back to Velder before you'd awaken."

"Yeah, I'm awake now. As of yesterday, actually, so you really didn't miss out on anything," he placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm's length just in case she suddenly found the urge to really bring him to the ground. His eyes turned to the tent entrance, again.

"That's where Elsword is," Pet explained, gaining a knowing nod from the young man.

"I know. So have you explained the situation to them, at all? About who you are?"

"Er… not yet. I mean, they never knew who I was in the first place, right? I've never actually met the El Search Party before so… I figured why bother?"

"And Penensio?"

"I'm dressed like a Velder Marksmen. Aside from Zero, no one really recognizes anything out of the ordinary from me. I'll explain it to him eventually. For now, wasn't there an actual reward for soldiers that returned from this campaign? I think I vaguely remember that being mentioned when I was younger. I might as well grab it before anything else," she trailed off, rubbing her chin in thought.

The king shook his head and smiled, her train of thought reminding him of a late friend.

"Speaking of going back," she said, "You'll be coming back with us, right? I was thinking, like, now that all of this is over, and stuff, maybe you and I can… you know, go on other adventures and stuff."

"Pet," Chung sighed, the tone of his voice already visibly stung the girl.

"I know. You've been through hell. Sorry. It's just that, ever since you've told me all of your amazing stories… it made me want to be a part of them someday. I just thought I'd bring it up now, in case—" she caught herself, "before we head back and you decide to stay here."

Chung was reminded of the girl's enthusiasm regarding his stories. He remembered during the tail end of their trip to Velder how she specifically expressed how she wanted to fight alongside him. He remembered telling her that she was far too young; that she wasn't strong enough to hold her own. She saved his life. She saved Eve's life, as well. It was endearing, to say the least, to think she had been holding on to this hope that she'd one day get to fight alongside him and the others. If anything, Pet had more than deserved a spot with the El Search Party.

But he couldn't answer that. Even now he wasn't sure if he still considered himself as part of the El Search Party. Yes, he cared for his friends. Yes, he felt it was his duty to ensure the safety of not only his kingdom but for the world as a whole. He cared for this realm and loved the people in it and he was at home when fighting in the frontlines.

But he was a king now.

" _You, the White Wolf, are our people's new beacon of hope_." Denka had said to him. Would it be right if he just left the kingdom to continue to protect the El?

"I… haven't decided where I'd be going after all this, yet," Chung explained, lighting a spark of hope in the young woman's eyes, "But regardless, it's not on me to decide whether you can come along."

Pet tilted her head, "It's not?"

He scratched his head as he weighed his options before ushering her over to the tent entrance, "You're going to have to ask the leader himself about letting you join."

"And then I'll get to fight alongside you?"

"Er… that's still up in the air. I might. So don't give up on the idea, just yet. But before you go about asking him, I kind of have some business to discuss."

"Oh. Okay!" Pet replied enthusiastically, following behind him only to be stopped at the door.

"Actually, can you just… stay out here for a second? I'd like to talk to him alone."

"Right!"

"I'll only be a moment," the Hamelian said, pushing aside the tent cloth as he stepped into a dimly lit room.

Three sets of bunk beds lined the three walls of the tent away from the entrance, each piled with the bedowner's belongings. To Chung's immediate left was Raven's and Elesis's bunk and it was clear who had which bed. It was easy to tell given how well kept and pristinely made the lower bed was compared to the top one that not only had yet to be made but had a pair of feminine underwear peeking out from under the covers.

Elsword's and Chung's were on the direct opposite end with Chung's neatly folded linens resting at the top bunk. Much like his sister's, Elsword's covers remained in disarray.

To his right were Rena's… and Aisha's. Rena's bow and sword rested on the top bunk, seeing as there was little use of her weapons, and merely functioned as a way to keep her fresh laundry from being blown away in the breeze.

Aisha had the lower bunk. Ever the collector of knowledge, books, that hadn't been on the Black Crow when it crashed, remained hastily packed in a large adventurer's travel bag. Their contents had spilled out on an unmade bed that looked as if it hadn't been touched in days. An urn rested on the layers of straw.

Sitting at the very middle of the room, facing their late friend's collection of ashes, was the El Search Party's leader, who had yet to acknowledge his friend's entrance.

The Hamelian stood there for sometime, noting the heavy bags that hung on the young leader's eyes. He was thin; hunched over. Elsword was unsettlingly still as he stared vacantly at the urn and it was only when Chung stepped closer to his friend did the young man finally speak.

"Raven said we would spread her ashes when we get to Ruben," Elsword said. His voice was but a whisper and it cracked as if he hadn't spoke in ages.

"Yeah," Chung nodded, "At our camping spot."

Elsword nodded again, though not once did he turn and look at Chung. He was silent again, and neither spoke for several minutes.

"What do you want?" the Lord Knight said, in a tone that confirmed the Hamelian's fears. Chung hesitated, his hand gripping the magically sealed box in his hand as he chose his words carefully.

"I came here to see you," he said, omitting the mention of the box for now, "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

He could see Elsword's eyes focusing on the urn ahead of him,as if he were purposely avoiding looking at his friend. He didn't say anything. And for a long while, Chung wondered if he should even bring up the box at all. He still had to apologize about their last talk they had, if he could call it one.

"Hey," Chung began, clearing his throat, "About that whole incident a week and a half ago—"

"What. Do. You. Want."

It was clear, despite not once laying his eyes on the Hamelian, that he was aware Chung was here for more reasons than he stated.

No longer beating around the bush, Chung held the coffer in front of him. Only then did Elsword finally take his eyes off Aisha's ashes as he turned his head slowly towards the Hamelian, focusing his attention on the small object in his hands.

"This box is sealed by rune magic," Chung explained, "You would know how to undo it, right? I'm not sure what's inside but I was hoping—"

"Why would I know anything about that?" red eyes locked with cyan as if daring him to answer.

"B-because," his voice faltered as the red eyes seemed to pierce straight into his soul, "I just thought that since, you know, Aisha was the one that taught you the basics of rune magic at one point you might… know… how to undo… it?"

Chung could see Elsword's hands ball to a fist at the mention of her name. It felt as if he were standing in the path of a massive tidal wave and Elsword was the levi that shielded him. Chung could drown in the tension of the room at this point.

Elsword broke eye contact, turning his gaze back to the urn as he shook his head. "I don't remember much of rune magic. Never retained any of it. Wish I did."

Chung held his breath. He felt that any form of movement, any noise would break the fragile bubble that surrounded them.

"What's in the box, anyways?"

"Not sure," Chung replied, slowly pulling the coffer away, "But I was told it has answers to what I seek regarding my father."

"Who told you that?"

"Ain did," Chung stopped mid-sentence as the name just slipped out.

"Who?"

"No one."

"Who's Ain?" He had Elsword's gaze once more. The fact that he tried to brush it off only piqued the Lord Knight's curiosity.

"N-no one…" Chung trailed off, knowing that continuing to feign ignorance would only stir the storm that already rumbled behind the knight's eyes. He relented, rolling his head to the side as he tried to explain himself, "It's complicated."

Elsword was tired. He was broken. Chung prayed that he wouldn't press the issue, especially since Aisha was involved. He must have missed her dearly. To learn that Chung had a chance to see her once more… the Hamelian feared the consequences.

The knight searched Chung for answers and the king could see him weigh how much energy he should really put into this. Anyone could pick apart Chung's intent at this point. If they were playing a round of poker, Elsword would already know what his best friend held.

"Fine," the knight said, finally backing down, "Ask the High Commander."

"What?"

"The High Commander," Elsword growled, turning away from Chung. The knight shook his head in disappointment, "Can't even get a straight answer from my best friend, anymore."

"Elsword," Chung's expression softened as he immediately regretted trying to keep something from him, "I'm so—"

"Please," he said. Chung noted the young man's trembling fist, "Just leave me to mourn."

Chung quietly left the tent, whispering a silent apology and reminding himself that it was probably best that Elsword didn't know.

Pet had been sitting on the ground just across the walkway from the entrance, waiting for the king. She idly traced incoherent scribbles on the dirt with her finger until she saw the man she had been waiting for leaving the tent.

"Well? Am I good to ask him?" she asked.

Chung had nearly forgotten what she had been waiting for and he slowly shook his head.

"Now might not be a good time, actually."

"Is he okay? I've seen him at the food tents a few times. Didn't look too good from what I saw so I've been a bit worried."

"No. He's pretty broken up about a friend of ours."

"Aisha?"

"How'd you know?"

"You always spoke so fondly of her in your stories. After sticking around long enough, I was able to put names to the faces of your friends. Aisha wasn't ever around so I put two and two together—and when the grand funeral pyres were lit, it pretty much confirmed my suspicions—besides, I know what losing someone looks like. I've been in his shoes before."

"Yeah," Chung nodded sullenly. She was observant; astoundingly so, though Chung felt no pride in knowing he might have helped contribute in that development. He felt fear. Reading well into the girl's tone, he immediately knew where the conversation might sail to.

"By the way," she began. Just as he predicted.

"Pet?" he interjected, doing his best to hide his desperation to change the subject.

"Yes?"

"Where's the High Commander? I have something important to discuss with him."

"O-on patrol. Want me to show you his route?"

"No!" Chung had to reign in the fact that he practically blurted it out, "I mean, no. Just point me in the direction. It's a top secret matter."

Chung palmed the coffer in his hands but pulled it away quickly upon remembering Rose also studied rune magic.

"Chung. Don't you trust me? I… literally came in from the future. What can I gain from learning the terrible secrets of a wooden box?" she teased, her tone loosening the tension around them.

"I do trust you, Pet. It's just that Penensio doesn't know that so, yeah. It's probably best I go alone."

She squinted at him. She was observant, yes, but even a child could have picked apart his bluff. He was a terrible liar.

Something clicked in Pet's electric blue eyes. It was like a light bulb went off in her head. The smile Pet had on her face slowly faded.

"North western wall," she replied, "All the way down to the south western corner. You'll find him around there."

"Thanks, Pet," Chung replied, turning away from her as he tried to leave the area as quickly as possible.

"Chung?" she called after him in a voice that asked him to stop. The guilt in his chest forced his legs to come to a halt.

"Yes?"

"I want to talk to you later. Okay?"

Chung searched the ground before him for an answer. How long could he keep avoiding her? She deserved to know. But… she had done so much just to save him. She sacrificed everything for the person she regarded as a true hero. Would she see him as a hero after that? Would it be right to crush her heart like this?

"Sure!" he replied, doing his best to feign a lighter tone, "If I'm not busy." With that, he took off quickly for the northwestern wall.

If he wasn't busy. What a stupid excuse.

* * *

"This is it?" Penensio asked, looking over the box as he escorted the king back to his quarters.

"Can you open it?"

"Of course," the High Commander said, "This is nothing but a basic rune lock. It's sort of a niche spell that they don't really teach in academies anymore, but all Red Knights should be able to deal with this. Childsplay, really. You just have to be careful which rune you're altering otherwise the inscriptions will self destruct."

Chung watched as the High Commander dipped his finger into a pouch of ink and, after briefly double checking all the markings on the box, added an extra line to one of the symbols. El flowed from his hand and the coffer's markings began to glow. The markings lit up for only a moment and quickly faded as Penensio handed it back to the king.

To Chung, it appeared nothing significant happened other than the brief light show. But, upon taking the coffer in his hands, he was surprised to see the lid freely swing open, allowing him to gaze at its contents—or rather, lack thereof.

"Huh," Penensio mumbled, hovering over the king's shoulder as they both stared into an empty box, save for a fine purple cloth, pitted at the center where an unknown object used to be. "What exactly was supposed to be in here, again?"

"I'm… not sure."

"Why'd you need this opened, then?"

Chung checked under the cloth, checked for any writing under the lid, even squeezed the cloth itself to see if something was hidden in it. Nothing.

Ain had said the answers he seeked would be in this box. What could he mean if there was absolutely nothing in it? He felt like he had been lied to, as if the angel had given him a false promise for the sake of his own gain. He killed his father because he believed in what Ain had to say! This wasn't fair. Why was the box empty? Why would the gods deny him this bit of closure?

"Your majesty?" the High Commander cleared his throat, garnering the king's attention, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Chung nodded slowly, pressing his hand on his head as he resisted the urge to break down, "I'm just not feeling well."

"You have been walking around all day, after all," Penensio agreed, "Probably best you get some rest."

"Yeah… I'll do that," Chung mumbled, clumsily reaching for the door handle and stepping into his room.

"Do… you want me to grab a medic or something?"

"I'll be fine. I just—" Chung stopped at the door. He didn't know what to make of any of this, "I just need to think."

The door clanged shut behind him and he continued to stare at the empty box for several more minutes, trying to make sense of it all. What was the purpose of Ain pointing this out to him? Why was this box in the room in the first place? Why was it sealed by runes? Why was it empty? What did all of this mean?

He sat at the foot of his bed, trying to piece together something, anything. He wanted to believe that Ain was right; that the box would hold the answer he seeked. What if he was speaking in metaphors? What if he was seeking no answer at all?

Chung grunted angrily at that notion, tossing the useless box haphazardly to the side. It collided with the wall, shutting it and activating the runes that sealed it once more. The king flopped on his bed, his head swimming in possibilities. There had to be something he could draw from the box. Or maybe there was nothing at all. Whatever it was, he just didn't want to think Ain had tricked him.

* * *

The orange-yellow of a distant campfire was all Chung could see. A deathly chill caressed him as a voice whispered in his ear.

"Your little crusade is misguided."

Why was he having this dream, again? Why do they all have to haunt him, so?

He ran to the fire, yet the pace at which he reached it neither sped up or slowed down. There was Noah, questioning herself as well as the purpose for others risking their lives for Hamel.

"That's because your nation lost," Noah's voice echoed.

He pushed through her, onto the waiting gathering where Roger raised his mug in a forlorn toast as Mud handed the king one as well.

"Stop!" Chung cried, falling back onto his seat once more as he felt Aisha reaching for him.

"I said stop!" the young man's hand snatched not her arm but the shard of Dark El lodged into his father's head.

He leapt backwards, unable to shake the thrumming sensation in his hand; the only thing that kept his father alive.

"Do it!" Helputt screamed.

"Shut up!" Chung screamed back, covering his ears, yet it did little to drive away the growing jeers in the background. He fell to the ground, curling into a ball as the voices grew louder and louder in his head.

"Traitors!" the late king jeered, "Cowards! After everything I've done for you… Everything I've sacrificed…"

"Leave me alone! Please!"

He could feel a presence standing over him. Even with his ears blocked the voice continued to whisper into his ear tauntingly. "Consider my words,  _King of Hamel_."

Chung squeezed his eyes shut, covering his ears in a fruitless attempt to shut out the voices. He couldn't stop them. All he could do was listen.

And then, as if by a snap of someone's fingers, it all made sense.

Ran was right.

* * *

"Rise and shine, your majesty!" Denka called, knocking on the door, "It's nearly midday and the ships for the relief effort have arrived!"

There was a pause before his advisor knocked, again. "Might I remind you, you have a speech to give for everyone! I have the notes prepared right here! It's imperative that his majesty get ready and make himself presentable!"

Another pause. Then another knock.

"Your majesty?"

"I heard you," Chung replied, dryly. Contrary to what the his advisor had assumed, Chung had been awake well before the sun even rose. Wishing not to interact with anyone until he was able to sort everything in his mind, the young king simply sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the wooden coffer lying at the other end of the room.

He couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it. After all he had done, after all everyone had sacrificed, they all played right into a trap, and Chung was the only one that recognized it. But now, the bigger question was: how could he fix it? After the hell everyone had been through, would anyone even be willing to follow through with him?

No. He couldn't think of that now. Not when he could still make things right. Chung stood, kneeling to pick up the coffer before unlatching the door and stepping into the blinding sunlight where Denka—and Eve—waited for him.

He didn't have to ask why Eve was there. She didn't even have to tap her head to remind him. She knew. And by the simple way she turned and flicked her hair dismissively over her shoulder as she left, it was clear what had to be done.

"You're… going dressed in your shorts, your majesty?"

"Do you have anything else I could wear?" Chung asked, opening up to any suggestion.

"Erm… no. Sorry."

"No," Chung said, shaking his head as he passed his advisor, making his way towards the docks, "I'm the one that should be sorry."

"My king?" Denka hurried after him, concern written all over his face.

"Are the people gathered?"

"Most of our citizens are unloading the rations as we speak."

"I need to speak with everyone. Gather as much as you can, please."

"Everyone, your majesty?"

Chung nodded, "Everyone. They need to hear this."

"My king," Denka chuckled, "my speeches are not anything fantastic, really. It's just a simple moral booster."

"I won't need your speech," the king stated flatly. He ignored the look of shock and insult that washed over the otter's face. "Gather the others.  _Now_."

"Y-yes, your majesty."

* * *

Chung stood on stage, patiently waiting as the crowd gathered by the hastily constructed docks just outside the waterway complex. Originally used to pipe excess fresh water that flowed through the waterway, the wide expanse of concrete served as a perfect staging area for Velder ships before demons overran the Royal Guard protecting this place.

Three ships, each had been filled to the brim with food and means to clothe and shelter the refugees, were docked here and Chung could see Hamelian and Velderian alike working together to unload the last of the supplies.

Syrel, Frida, and Useli, were present among the crowd. They were easily recognizable dressed in their red uniform among the crowd of civilians. The surviving Velder troops, only a handful excluding those that were on patrol, remained gathered with them.

Sasha, as well as the surviving acolytes stood front row and center before their new king.

Standing behind him, on the stage, were Penensio and Lowe, as well as most of the remaining cast of the El Search Party: Raven, Elesis, and Rena.

Eve could be seen standing off at the docks, quietly waiting to say his piece, while Elsword, as expected, was nowhere to be seen. It didn't matter to Chung. After what the Lord Knight had been through, it wouldn't be right for him to have to sit through what the king was about to say.

Denka arrived, giving the king a quick nod to indicate that everyone not currently on patrol were present.

"Hear me! Hear me!" Chung cried, gathering the eyes and ears of the dock filled with thousands of listeners.

The crowd fell silent as their king, dressed only in shorts and a dirty white shirt, slowly paced from one side of the stage to the other.

"First of all, I'd like to commend everyone—Velderian, Hamelian, and all others who fought alongside us—for a job well done. These past five to six years of unspeakable horror and death have finally come to an end through the sacrifices each and every one of us had to make.

"That being said, I'd like to hold a moment of silence. Let us not forget the hundreds of thousands of men and women—brothers, sisters, who have given their lives for the safety of everyone here as well as the safety of the realm as a whole. We wouldn't be standing here today without them."

Chung bowed his head and the others did the same. In his mind he thought of everyone he knew. He thought of Roger, Mud, and Leo. He thought of each one of them fighting to their last dying breath doing what they could for the good of others. He thought about Noah, Lyra, and Julius. He hoped their kinship towards one another would somehow bring them together once more in the afterlife. He thought of Aisha. The girl who only wished to look after the younger brother she never had. He hoped to see her again one day, and to know that the El Search Party missed her dearly. Lastly, he thought of his father, the man he had spent the last five long years worrying and wondering if he'd ever see him again. How cruel fate had been to bring together in such a twisted way.

"Words cannot express how I feel, or I'm sure how all of you feel, from the loss of our late king, Helputt. He was a good leader but an even more phenomenal warrior. I was—no, I still am—proud to be his son.

"As his son, I promise I'll do my best to carry on his will. I promise I'll do everything in my power to ensure that our kingdom will rise from the ashes of war just as strong, if not stronger, than it ever was. But I can't do it alone. I'm counting on each of you, citizens of Hamel. Every one of you holds the key to our kingdom's revival. The next few years will be difficult but never forget the blood our families and friends have shed giving us this chance. We Hamelians have already weathered the worst of this storm. We will not let anything break us."

Chung fell silent, letting his words sink in to the crowd. The applause began, quickly growing into cheers. He scanned the crowd as no one other than himself or the Nasod standing on the other end of the dock were aware of what was to come next. Chung stared at the silver-haired beauty as she gave him a knowing nod of reassurance. He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply as he subconsciously made up his mind. He remained standing before them, quietly waiting for the crowd's applause to die down before speaking, again.

It was now or never.

"As my first order of business as your new king, I'd like to address High Commander Penensio and Sargeant Lowe for their services in the frontline. Without your help there would have been no chance for us to reclaim our lost home, and for that, you and all of the men and women who fought under you, have all of our deepest, sincerest thanks."

The crowd applauded again. The two men smiled, Penensio raising his hand as he humbly waved off their thanks while Lowe bowed his head.

"With your service complete," Chung continued, over the roar of the crowd, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Still in the middle of applause, the cheering slowly died as Penensio blinked, turning to the king.

"Excuse me, your majesty?"

The crowd fell silent, aware of the look of confusion splayed across both of their faces.

"Get out of my kingdom. Now."

Everyone on the stage heard him loud and clear and it didn't take long for the stage to erupt into a fit of question.

"Your majesty?" Denka cleared his throat.

"You can't be serious—" Lowe began.

"Chung? What the hell's going on?" Raven spoke over him.

"What do you mean, leave?" Rena asked as well.

Of the crowd of people suddenly bombarding Chung with questions, the king waited patiently for Penensio's response.

The High Commander's brow furrowed as he was just as lost as the others.

"Uh, your majesty? With all due respect, what do you mean get out of your kingdom?"

"Just as I have stated. I want you to take your men and leave my country."

The crowd heard their king loud and clear and no sooner had he said that, the murmurs of confusion filled the air.

"Our king is unwell!" Denka shouted over the crowd, "He has only awakened a little less than a day ago and I'm sure he is very stressed with the pressure of bearing the weight of a nation. Please understand everyone—"

"Denka," Chung ordered, "Stand down."

The king took the stage once more, holding the wooden coffer in one hand for everyone to see.

"I am not sick. I am perfectly aware of what I'm doing and I assure you I am justified in kicking out our former allies."

"Former allies—" Penensio began, "What do you mean?"

Chung shoved the coffer into the High Commander's hands.

"Open that box," Chung ordered.

"But… there's nothing in—"

"Open it!" the king roared, his voice powerful enough to startle even the High Commander.

Without a moment to spare, Penensio thumbed the ink pouch at his side and completed the unlock rune once more. The lid flew open and Chung snatched the coffer from his hands showing everyone that there was indeed nothing but the purple cloth within.

"First," Chung began, "a history lesson.

"Just over twenty years ago, a war came to an end between Velder and Hamel. It was a resource war, mainly fought over Ereda Island and its surrounding archipelago. Whoever controlled this island would control an enormous source of El. There would be enough El to fuel the nation's wealth and military presence.

"I understand that the lust for power is a sin that both of our countries have committed but you forget that Ereda  _used_  to be ours. Ereda was  _our_  land that Velder fought us over. It was what granted us the ability to use the guardian stones and unlock strength well beyond that of a normal human. It was rightfully ours to begin with!

"Hamel lost that war. Since then, Velder had extracted all of the El and used the reserves to grow into the most powerful nation in all of Elrios. But that didn't stop there."

Chung turned to Penensio, pointing the wooden coffer at him accusingly, "Because of the defeat, Hamel closed its borders to Velder and every nation associated with Velder. We knew what their next move was. We saw it when they assimilated the Elven nations, Sander, and the country of fire. They wanted the El Stone of Water. And if words are not enough to convince you, you saw it in their actions.

"How long has Velder hounded my father? It was as if every week of my childhood, we'd have Velder politicians seeking counsel with a king who only wished to cure his wife and son of their illnesses. There was not a moment in time I can remember where my father didn't have to worry about putting his family aside to speak with those snakes you call ambassadors.

"He didn't want any of this. He didn't want you in his kingdom but he knew, with the troops you've stationed here, that resistance would only result in more bloodshed. He knew the only way to appease your greedy nation was to give you what they asked for. As long as it wasn't the El Stone of Water."

"Seiker," Penensio shook his head in exasperation, "I assure you, the El Stone is not my objective."

"And I believe you!" Chung retorted, "I don't blame any of the men and women who fought alongside us. None of you are at fault."

"Then why are you—"

"That is why I'm asking you to leave, peacefully. We've had enough bloodshed for an eternity. Let's not add any more to the body count."

"Seiker… what you're claiming, it may or may not be true but why are you going through such extremes to kick us out?"

"Because. Of. This," the king replied, waving the empty coffer around. He turned to the audience, making sure everyone could hear what he was about to say.

"High Commander? Did Hamel ever open trade with Velder?"

"Never, as far as I'm aware of. The only reason our troops occupied your kingdom was the established—"

"Embargo on our entire country. Velder blocked every access to the outside world in hopes of starving us of resources. Is that correct?"

"It… was the most humane way without going through another war," the High Commander muttered, dropping his head in forced shame.

"We were self sufficient," Chung stated, "With the power of water at our side our farms and our means to cure the sick made us independent of the world outside. Velder's embargo didn't work. For years, the empire waited for us to give in and open our borders, but we refused. So Velder resorted to something so vile, so inhumane, I had to check and triple check my facts just to make sure your nation is as wretched as the demons that invaded our land."

Chung turned to the rest of his people. It was clear his words had spurred the curiosity of the majority of them.

"When I first infiltrated the Halls of Water and stepped into the lower levels of its sanctum, I came across a grisly scene. Bodies. Human bodies both Velderian and Hamelian alike, scattered across several levels. There were no demon corpses, yet there were hundreds of soldiers and civilians. I found it strange, impossible, really, that a demon horde could overwhelm all of them without a single casualty, seeing as you were able to wipe out so many just a week and a half ago with only fifty or so men."

Chung turned to Sasha who was still standing at the front of the crowd.

"Priestess, the spell of permafrost you cast: the barrier created would be nigh impenetrable, is that correct?"

"Yes," Sasha squeaked, seeing as all attention was turned towards her, "Helputt ordered I create a protective barrier that would keep the demons at bay until help arrived."

"And yet they managed to get in," Chung nodded, "How?"

"I… I don't know how. The only way I could think would be—"

"From the inside," Chung finished.

"How?" the High Commander asked, still unconvinced with Chung's reasoning.

"A coup."

The murmuring of the crowd grew louder. Many Hamelian citizens turned a wary eye towards their Velderian neighbor.

Penensio's eyes narrowed, sensing the unrest stirring within the crowd. "Explain."

Chung waved the empty coffer in front of him once more, "You said it yourself: opening this runic lock was like childsplay for any Red Knight. Rune magic is virtually unknown here in Hamel. What would a magically sealed coffer like this be doing in the trial's control chamber?"

"We had nothing to do with that," Penensio insisted.

"I know you didn't. But that doesn't excuse what your nation did without your knowledge," Chung held the empty coffer once more for everyone to see.

"But there was nothing in there!" the High Commander argued.

"That's because the object that was supposed to be in there was jammed into my father's skull!"

His voice echoed loud and clear across the temporary harbor. The crowd of thousands were silent as the revelation was slowly processed.

"That's why," Chung continued, "there were Velder corpses in the control room when they should have been frozen with the other civilians. That's why my father kept screaming coward and traitor. He wasn't directing it at me. He was directing it at the Red Knights that followed him.

"It was Velder that ushered in the demon invasion," Chung concluded, "They staged a coup, creating a war Hamel wasn't going to win by itself. They labeled it as a fight to save a falling nation. They offered riches for surviving men and women, hired mercenaries near and far… they even brought the El Search Party into the fray. The amount of lives it took didn't matter, now. With Hamel having no choice but to rely on Velder for help, all the empire had to do was clean up after the very mess it helped create.

"But the demons were much stronger than you originally anticipated. They lost ground quickly and were forced to hole up within the Halls of Water. Fearing their window of opportunity was closing when my father ordered to seal everyone inside, the Red Knights attacked, using the Dark El as a means to break the spell from the inside when the time was right. But he overpowered them, killing the Red Knights and encasing the halls in permafrost for five long years… until something happened: Ran."

Chung turned his attention to Sasha once more, "You said you heard a voice as you slept, correct?"

"'It is done' the voice said," the water priestess held herself as she spoke, "It still haunts me to this day."

"Ran managed to break past the barrier somehow… I feel my father had something to do with it. He managed to take the Water Seal for himself and you saw firsthand the extent of his newfound power. You were ready to leave had I not been reckless and attempted to take Ran myself. And now that Ran's gone, now that I, the son of a father that your nation betrayed, has come in to right Velder's wrongs, they're planning to take advantage of that, once again, isn't that right, High Commander?"

Penensio didn't answer right away. He was still processing everything the young king had laid out for him.

"I… don't know," Penensio answered, honestly.

"How many troops are they sending?"

"That's classified information—"

"How. Many. Troops."

"I can't give out the exact number. A lot. More than we've ever had before."

"That's awfully convenient," Chung sneered, "Where were they when we were reduced to a mere four hundred men? Was Velder being careful with the spending of its own military might, that they were reduced to employing hired help to fill their ranks? Was that why many of the troops here were ill-trained and new to combat? I've seen their hiring process on the other side of the ocean. They don't even bother to check their volunteer's age! They don't care. They just needed boots on the ground. As long as it wasn't their own.

"Velder has betrayed us!" Chung shouted, turning towards the crowd, his words rallying the civilians that greatly outnumbered the soldiers, "The empire is looking to prey on us when we are at our weakest! But they forget that we are  _Hamelians_! We have weathered the storm! We will  _not_  break!"

It was Penensio's turn to step forward, his face was solemn yet held that distinct air of intensity that even brought even the most disobedient soldiers into line. He looked over the riled crowd of civilians. At this rate, the level of unrest would most likely erupt into violence.

"That's all well and good," he said, softly at first but once more, louder and in a voice that rivaled Chung's father.

"Even if what you claim is true, what do you hope to do with this wild assumption?" Penensio asked, "Although I do not advocate the methods you claim my nation has used, what can you do? Your kingdom is in ruins. Your people are forced to live in shelters. Everything that once made your kingdom your home: gone. And you're looking to kick us—the hand that is feeding you—out? Your people need us, Seiker. They can't survive without us."

"I refuse to be fed by the same hand that took everything from me," Chung growled defiantly.

"You are acting  _purely_  out of spite, Seiker. I get it. I understand that bitterness. I can't say whether or not what you're saying is true, but even if it is: do you even have a choice? Can you truly speak for others when you say you refuse the help we're giving you? Think  _rationally_ , Seiker. This is better for your people."

The king gritted his teeth, looking about from face to face among the crowd he saw nothing but poverty. His people were homeless. They had nothing. Was it really right for him to deny Velder this chance to help?

Was it right to give Velder exactly what they wanted? They tricked them. Velder played all of them and now Hamel was at their mercy.

"Chung," Rena stepped out from the back of the stage, grabbing his attention, "If I may… about this whole situation—"

"We can get by, right?" Chung asked, desperation surfacing in his voice, "We can survive without Velder's help. That's what you're going to say, right?"

The Night Watcher hesitated before turning inwardly towards herself. She didn't have to say anything. Chung already knew which side she supported.

"Penensio has a point, you know," Elesis shrugged, "Why make it harder for yourself? You'd only be causing unrest among your people. They've been through enough as it is."

"Elesis," Chung felt his stand on the situation waver, "Not you, too… Velder had gotten us into this mess. It was their greed that forced this situation onto us! Don't you see? The proof is right here! This box proves it! They  _killed_  my father. Not just my father, but hundreds upon thousands of others just so they can control the El Stone of Water! I can't stand for that! I  _won't_!"

"Think of your people, Chung," Raven argued, "You're willingly taking their right to a better, happier life for a past that doesn't even matter, now."

Chung's eyes widened at his words. "Doesn't matter?" he repeated under his breath, "Are you saying all of our sacrifices don't matter, now?"

"Chung, I didn't mean—"

"Are you saying my  _father's_  life doesn't matter? Are you saying Aisha's life doesn't matter?"

"That's  _not_  what I meant—" Raven tried to reason but was interrupted once again by Chung's rising fury.

"Then what did you mean? That I should disregard all of that and give Velder exactly what they've killed all those innocent lives for? That I should just let it happen because it's  _easier_?"

"Chung," Rena begged, "I know it hurts, but don't you see? Everyone here agrees that taking Velder's offer is your best course of action."

"Listen to the elf, Seiker," Penensio added, "Again, I understand where you're coming from. But right now, you're a king. What kind of leader would let an opportunity like this slip by?"

The king faced the crowd once more, scanning over each and every one of them. They depended on him. He was their leader now, and he knew his choice would define his rule for the rest of his life.

In the distance, he saw a single, silver-haired woman. He didn't have to ask, as he was sure she could read his every thought. He wanted to know what she thought; what the best course of action was, in her opinion. Surely, he thought, someone as rational as her, would help him see the bigger picture.

Eve shut her eyes, brushing her hair over her shoulder before slowly mouthing two words for him: "Rule one."

Rule one? What did that mean?

He looked inwardly to himself as he tried to make sense of what she was saying.

_Suddenly, he found himself standing at the balcony of his tower. The soft clang of a metal door opening and closing as his daily visitor came to see him before the battle against Avalanche._

_Eve had shoved something hard against his chest. "Rule number one of leading a nation," she had stated coldly, "Do what you think is best for others…"_

" _Not what others think is best for you," Chung finished as he was pulled back into the present._

Chung shut his eyes, letting Eve's words sink in.

This was it: the decision that would define his rule as a king.

He turned to the others on stage with him once more, looking each in the eye as he made his final decision.

"Get out of my kingdom," he growled before facing the three members of the El Search Party, " _Now_!"

"You can't be serious!" Lowe exclaimed.

"I am," the king replied, not budging from his order.

"After all we've done for you? This is how you repay us?"

"My father said the same thing to the Red Knights before they turned him into a monster. You have no right to ask us for payment. I know you and your men have done nothing wrong. That is why I'm giving you the chance to leave without any bloodshed."

A shrill whistle caught the Velder soldiers attention as Hamel's militia stepped into action.

"You heard our king!" Zuzu called from the high wall, "Leave peacefully or  _we'll_  be the ones to show you the door!"

"Guardians-in-training," Chung said to the two Velder officers, "There may be only a few of them, but they've had more combat experience than the soldiers you've pulled off the streets. Let's end this here, High Commander. No one else needs to die, today."

"But we can't just  _leave_!" Penensio argued, "What do I tell the other incoming ships?"

The king leaned in close, baring his teeth as he spoke in a low growl, "You tell them that if they so much as show their sails in the horizon, we will not hesitate to sink them. Now all of you either get on those ships and sail back home in one piece or we send you back home in pieces."

Chung stepped back, garnering an angry snort from the High Commander before he begrudgingly signaled the Velder soldiers to pack it up and leave.

"Let the patrols know we're setting sail. By orders of  _his majesty_." He spat the last two words out with newfound hatred.

Lowe passed him, then Rena, Raven, and finally Elesis, who bumped shoulders with him before turning to the young king.

"You're making a huge mistake, you know," the Blazing Heart said as the red garbed men and women all filed out to the harbor to gather their things.

"I know I am," Chung whispered, looking over his shoulder at her. From the corner of his eye he saw Eve quietly board one of the ships. In his mind he felt that this was going to be the last time he'd ever see her.

_I'm going to miss you_ , he thought, letting the swirl of emotions flow unhindered for Eve to read.

Pinks. Blues. Faded violets and whites. The feeling was mutual.

"Then why are you doing this?" Elesis asked, "What about your people? You're a guardian, aren't you? Isn't it your job to seek the well-being of others?"

Chung pressed a hand on his chest where his guardian stone used to be. Just like everything else in his life, it was gone. For years he had fought for that ideal. For years he had selflessly given his life for others, under the impression that it was for some greater good. Yet despite all he had done, despite everything he had sacrificed for the good of others, he was left with nothing.

"Not anymore," Chung whispered, "From now on, the heart of this guardian beats no longer."

**The End**


End file.
